Others will over-winter in readiness to complete their growth and pupate the following spring such as the Fox Moth Macrothylacia rubi above right which remains a caterpillar for 11 months of the year from June to April. However, some species such as the caterpillars of the Goat Moth Cossus cossus may remain in the larval stage, inside a tree trunk, for up to five years. Pupation refers to the stage when a caterpillar stops growing and undergoes a rapid and remarkable physical transformation into a moth or butterfly.
The caterpillars of some moth species spin an additional outer protective case known as a cocoon around them before forming a pupa inside. These cocoons are often spun using a mesh of spun silk and hairs from its own body. Many of these spun cocoons are rather flimsy and do not appear to offer much additional protection but their hairs may still prevent some parasites from reaching and penetrating the pupa and laying their eggs inside.
However, some cocoons are of such a solid impenetrable construction that it has been suggested that some species may have developed a body acid to burn their way out. These pupae may be formed in a wide variety of places including amongst leaf litter, in the soil, inside the stems of plants, on the trunks of trees and even on man made structures such as walls of houses. This refers to the golden brown colour of some pupae.
Although, many of these will darken with age as the moth or butterfly develops inside. Chrysalis is more often used to refer to the pupation life stage of a butterfly and pupa for that of a moth. The Small Tortoiseshell Aglais urticae butterfly shown above secures its pupa to a plant, often the stem of nettles, where it is cryptically disguised to blend in with the colours and shapes of its surroundings. Some species, including many butterflies, such as the Comma Polygonia c-album butterfly above rely on a single shell pupa.
They fix themselves to their chosen support by hanging upside from a cremaster, tiny hooks at the rear of the pupa, attached to a silken pad. It's common to call the shell where a butterfly completes its metamorphosis a cocoon, but that's technically incorrect. While some insects, like moths, spin a cocoon, a butterfly uses a chrysalis, which is essentially hardened skin.
Different species of butterflies stay in the chrysalis, or pupal stage, for different periods of time. There are four stages in the life cycle of a butterfly: the egg, larva or caterpillar, pupa or chrysalis and the adult. Briefly, a butterfly starts as an egg. After about 4 to 5 days some species take up to 3 weeks or longer , the egg hatches and a tiny larva caterpillar emerges. The larva starts to eat and will shed its skin 4 to 6 times as it gets bigger and bigger.
This stage can take between 10 to 15 days. Finally, the adult butterfly emerges from the pupa. Adult butterflies will mate, the female will lay eggs and the life cycle starts over. What is the difference between a pupa, chrysalis and a cocoon?
Pupa and chrysalis have the same meaning: the transformation stage between the larva and the adult. While pupa can refer to this naked stage in either a butterfly or moth, chrysalis is strictly used for the butterfly pupa. A cocoon is the silk casing that a moth caterpillar spins around it before it turns into a pupa.
Many butterfly pupae are cryptic and blend into their surroundings. What is the largest butterfly in the world? This tropical butterfly is from the rainforest in northern Papua New Guinea. The larvae eat the pipevine, a vine which contains poison; this makes the butterfly toxic to predators, which will get sick if they eat it. They quickly learn to leave these huge butterflies alone.
What is the largest moth in the world? Mechanitis polymnia chrysalises are nearly solid gold with bold black and brown stripes patterned throughout. These metallic chrysalises are what give the butterfly part of its name: mechanitis. It is a reference to the machinelike quality of the highly unusual-looking chrysalises. As strange as the chrysalises may seem, Mechanitis polymnia butterflies emerge in the same way as other butterflies and in the same amount of time — about 10 to 14 days.
Maria Cook is a freelance and fiction writer from Indianapolis, Indiana. She has written about science as it relates to eco-friendly practices, conservation and the environment for Green Matters. TL;DR Too Long; Didn't Read Most butterflies take about 10 to 14 days to emerge from their chrysalises, though the color and other characteristics of chrysalises vary from species to species.
How to Identify Caterpillar Cocoons. Life Cycle of a Silkworm. How Does a Caterpillar Build a Cocoon? Different Species of Caterpillars. Facts on Caterpillars. What Does the Butterfly Do for Nature? Types of Lime Green Caterpillars.
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