By adopting a longitudinal study design and through geometric morphometrics methods, we investigated size and shape regulation in the head capsule during the larval development of the cabbage butterfly Pieris brassicae under laboratory conditions. We found evidence of size regulation by compensatory growth, although not equally effective in all larval stages. Size compensation is not attained through the regulation of developmental timing, but rather through the modulation of per‐time growth rate. As for the shape, neither the variance of the symmetric component of shape, nor the level of fluctuating asymmetry show any evidence of increase across stages, either at the population or individual level, which is interpreted as a mark of ontogenetic shape regulation. In addition, also the geometry of individual asymmetry is basically conserved across stages. While providing specific documentation on the ontogeny of size and shape variation in this insect, this study may contribute to a more general understanding of developmental regulation and its influence on phenotypic evolution.

中文翻译：

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鳞翅目芸苔幼虫生长过程中的大小和形状调控

通过纵向研究设计和几何形态计量学方法，我们研究了甘蓝蝶（Pieris brasicae ）幼虫发育过程中头囊的大小和形状调节。在实验室条件下。我们发现了通过补偿性生长调节大小的证据，尽管并非在所有幼虫阶段都同样有效。尺寸补偿不是通过调节发育时间来实现的，而是通过调节每次生长速率来实现的。至于形状，无论是在群体还是个体水平上，形状对称分量的方差和波动不对称性的水平都没有显示出任何跨阶段增加的证据，这被解释为个体发育形状调节的标志。此外，个体不对称的几何形状也基本上是跨阶段守恒的。在提供有关这种昆虫大小和形状变异个体发育的具体文件的同时，