Updated information-see the edit below if you are interested in knowing the identification of this creature. Thanks to an anonymous commenter!
I was busy watering my lemon tree yesterday and I realized that there were lots of little cocoons on the bottoms of the leaves. I call them cocoons but my boys said they thought that they are a kind of chrysalis. I have never taken the time to learn the difference so it sounded like a good time to take out the Handbook of Nature Study.
"The pupa of a butterfly is called a chrysalis."
"Many larvae, especially among the moths, weave about themselves a covering of silk which serves to protect them from their enemies and the weather during the helpless pupa period. This silken covering is called a cocoon."
"After the larva has attained its full growth it changes its skin and its form, and becomes a pupa."
Handbook of Nature Study, page 296
So I am thinking now that the boys were right and this is a chrysallis of some sort of butterfly. I have no idea what kind but we are going to bring one in and watch its development.
Here is some more info I found online.
From WikiAnswers:
- A cocoon is a covering made of silk that encloses a pupa, and a chrysalis is the pupa of a butterfly. The chrysalis is covered in a hard, chitnous shell.
- Note the difference: A cocoon is a covering of a pupa, and a chrysalis is a particular kind of pupa, usually with no enclosing cocoon.
- Inside a cocoon, you will often find a pupa of a moth or other insect with an inner chitinous shell, but it is not called a chrysalis unless it is the pupa of a butterfly. The pupae of some insects have visible external body structures, such as wings and legs, as they develop, while others (such as moths) have a smooth outer shell that encloses the developing structures.
- I learned a lot this morning after taking just about five minutes to look up the information in the Handbook.
EDIT: Someone left me a comment and identified this creature. It is a cottony scale insect. If you follow the link you will indeed find out that this is a female in the immobile stage.
"Adult female scales are almost always immobile (aside from mealybugs) and permanently attached to the plant they have parasitized. They secrete a waxy coating for defense; this coating causes them to resemble reptilian scales or fish scales, hence the name."
That clears that up and shows you just how much I know about insects in general. I am continually learning.
Thanks for the lesson!
ReplyDeleteHow about that?
ReplyDeleteWe should have opened the HNS and read about butterflies while we had ours. I thought cocoon and chrysalis were two interchangeable words.
But I'll be honest. The HNS intimidates me. It is hard to read sometimes, and I also have to get over the idea that it might not be geographically relevant, or else might have some faulty info being so old.
I do still use it, but I have some hang-ups about it. The book sat on my shelf unopened for three years before I started using it at all to nature study!
So is part of the insect sticking out of the chrysalis? It looks like it. You know what that reminds me of... A caddisfly.
ReplyDelete~Tina
As I examine the 'pupa' Wikipedia entry more, it appears to me that a cocoon can be a chrysalis, but not all cocoons are chrysalids. Does that jibe with your thinking on the subject? On the Wikipedia page, under 'Cocoon,' there are pictures labeled cocoon and others labeled chrysalis. It appears to me that they are saying that a chrysalis is what you call a butterfly cocoon.
ReplyDeleteAm I understanding this right?
Okay, I think I misunderstood. It looks like it is either/or, from this butterfly glossary:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.milkweedcafe.com/gardenglossary.htm
"chrysalis - the pupa stage of a butterfly. The chrysalis is often mistakenly called a cocoon. The chrysalis forms when the butterfly caterpillar sheds its skin for the final time, and a hardened outer covering forms to cover the changing pupa inside. Chrysalis means gold in Greek. Many - though not all - chrysalises have gold spots or markings. pl - chrysalides, chrysalises
cocoon - the pupa stage of a moth. The cocoon is a covering that protects the pupa inside as it changes into a moth. Cocoons are formed from silken threads spun by the last instar caterpillar. Some species of moths will also incorporate leaves into their cocoons. After the cocoon is formed, the caterpillar inside will shed its skin for the final time, and a pupa with a hardened outer coating will form."
We've been raising milkweed caterpillars (they become monarchs). Since starting this project I've learned a ton about caterpillars and chrysalises.
ReplyDeleteThe point that is very clear to me now is that a caterpillar, on its way to becoming a butterfly, will molt several times. The final time it sheds its exoskeleton, the exposed layer is what will (very quickly) shrink and harden to become the chrysalis.
On the way to becoming a moth, however, the caterpillar will weave or spin its new nesty kind of thing which is called a cocoon.
The processes are quite different, as the chrysalid (used interchangeably with chrysalis) is an actual physical layer of the caterpillar - its exoskeleton, while the cocoon is a separate entity built by the caterpillar.
I'm amazed at the beauty of the chrysalids. Every day I look and watch and hope to be able to witness the transformation into a chrysalid. Unfortunately it happens so quickly, that the 2 times it has occurred so far, we've missed it. Fortunately, however, we have 3 more caterpillars who are getting close to maturity. Maybe I'll manage to catch it one of those times!
Thanks for a great post.
Jennifer
The white insect being spoken about is not a chrysalis but a cottony scale insect, commonly found on citrus trees.
ReplyDeleteWow, I had never heard of these before! Thanks for telling us.
ReplyDelete~Becky