Male or Female? Males have a small black spot on the top surface of the hindwing. Females do not. You can see the spot when the wings are open; sometimes it's faintly visible when the wings are closed, too.
Their green hemolymph (blood) dries to black scabs. If a chrysalis has bled a little bit or has been damaged even a small amount, the dried blood can cause bright black marks and spots.
Male monarchs have two black spots in the center of their hind wings, which females lack. These spots are scent glands that help males attract female mates. Females have thicker wing veins than males. The butterfly's body is black with white markings.
Adult butterflies can be checked for OE by placing a piece of CLEAR tape firmly to its abdomen, removing the tape (which now has scales on it), placing the tape on a microscope slide, and looking for OE spores. Removal of these scales will not harm the butterfly. They naturally wear off as they age.
They reach about two inches in length before metamorphosis. The monarch chrysalis, where the caterpillar undergoes metamorphosis into the winged adult butterfly, is seafoam green with tiny yellow spots along its edge.
Butterfly chrysalises need humidity. To prevent dehydration, dunk or spray your chrysalis under/with water a couple of times a day! Chrysalises breathe through holes in their sides, called spiracles. A good wetting will not harm them.
The rule of thumb is that it shouldn't be black for more than 3 days, it's likely the monarch inside the chrysalis has a bacteria or disease, or a predator has laid its eggs inside and killed the chrysalis.
With heavy infections, you can also see spores under the chrysalis skin before the butterfly has emerged - they appear as small black dots. These symptoms often suggest an O.E. infection, but not always. It is also important to note that not all butterflies that have an O.E. infection will show these symptoms.
The new chrysalis is soft and easily deformed for the first hour after pupating. Anything that touches the soft chrysalis can cause damage. Some damage is natural, caused by twigs or leaves surrounding the soft chrysalis.
Painted lady and swallowtail caterpillars are common examples. Even the monarch butterfly caterpillar, though toxic if eaten, does nothing more than tickle you when held. Instead of picking them up, it's best to let them crawl onto you to minimize the risk of harming them.
The sex of monarch larvae can be determined only in dissection. Males will have undeveloped testes located in the 6th abdominal segment, dorsal to the gut. If you have a last instar male caterpillar, the testes will appear as two bright red or pink sacs; often they appear to be one sac.
The timing varies by species. Monarch butterflies generally leave the chrysalis within 48 hours once it turns dark, according to the University of Kansas Monarch Watch website.
A group of researchers in Germany did a careful study of the properties of these spots. They are not metallic (so they aren't really gold), but the cells reflect light like metals do, giving them the appearance of being metallic. Other danaids have silver, copper, or gold spots.
The silky white strings show the maggot has left the caterpillar or pupa. Infested pupa will be discolored with brown, black or rust spots or you may see small holes in it.
What happens inside a chrysalis or cocoon? First, the caterpillar digests itself, releasing enzymes to dissolve all of its tissues. If you were to cut open a cocoon or chrysalis at just the right time, caterpillar soup would ooze out.
Sometimes, monarch larvae or pupae appear to die for no apparent reason. This does not mean that a parasite killed them; other causes of death include ingestion of chemical toxins, a wound that became infected by opportunistic bacteria, or thermal stress caused by conditions that are too hot or too cold.
If the chrysalis has darkened, it could either have an infection, like previously mentioned, or it could have been parasitized by a fly or a wasp. Monarchs also may have O.E. (Ophryocystis elektroscirrha). OE is a protozoan parasite that infects monarchs.
Monarchs and other species need to hang vertically so that when they eclose, gravity can assist in their wings forming properly. Swallowtails are different. Try to emulate the chrysalis' natural positioning as much as possible. 3.
The telltale gold spots on the outside of a chrysalis are ports of entry for oxygen.
What's that red stuff? Butterflies excrete a red liquid which is sometimes mistaken for blood when in reality it is actually meconium, "pupal fluid" which isn't blood at all. It is made up of waste material that is produced during the pupal stage.
Caterpillars and adult butterflies both breathe through tiny pores called spiracles. From each spiracle, the blue tubes, called trachea, carry oxygen into the chrysalis.
Why are my chrysalides shaking? This is a natural instinct to ward off predators. If a chrysalis feels threatened, it will begin to wiggle and shake.
The chrysalis should become transparent as the time to emerge nears. If your chrysalis remains black and your butterfly does not emerge, very gently bend it. If it remains bent, it is likely dead and you should discard it to prevent disease from spreading to the other caterpillars.
They remain in the chrysalis for about 8-12 days, depending on temperature. What is a chrysalis made of? The chrysalis is simply the word for the butterfly during the pupa stage. The outside of the chrysalis is the exoskeleton, or skin, of the pupa.