What happens inside a butterfly pupa (5 photos)

Butterflies go through a life cycle that consists of several stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult. The metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly occurs at the pupa stage, which is shrouded in a large number of myths and misconceptions.





Everyone saw the caterpillars. Well-fed butterfly children, devouring the leaves of our crops. Everyone has seen butterflies - graceful insects that pollinate plants and flowers. But there is another stage that is difficult to catch. The moment when a caterpillar turns into a butterfly is the pupal stage.

This stage is shrouded in an aura of legends and misconceptions. According to one of them, the entire contents of the pupa at some point turn into mush, from which an insect is molded from scratch. But in reality everything is much more complicated.



Yes, during metamorphosis the caterpillar really turns into something broth-like. She secretes digestive juices to dissolve her body and create a new one. And she remains in this state for several weeks. But the caterpillar does not build its delicate wings and thin body from scratch. From birth, the larva already has everything necessary to form a full-fledged butterfly.





The answer to the question of what a caterpillar looks like inside a pupa is clear.

The cells containing spare parts from the adult insect are called imaginal discs. Not only butterflies have them, but also all insects that undergo metamorphosis. In beeches with incomplete metamorphosis, those that do not have a pupal stage, the imaginal discs develop with each new moult.



But in butterflies and other insects with complete transformation, all miracles occur in the pupa. When the entire body of the caterpillar dissolves, the imaginal discs are left floating in a nutritious protein broth. The cells that the caterpillars have been sleeping all their lives begin to feed and actively develop, forming a new body.



Pupae are formed not only in butterflies and moths. For example, this strange potato is the pupa of a Hercules beetle.

But there are also those organs that actually split and form anew - these are antennas and eyes. The number of segments on the antennae of an adult insect never coincides with that of the larvae. And the simple eyes of the caterpillars are replaced with complex faceted eyes.