7 August 2014

蝶々日和

My friend from school kindly gave me another caterpillar, a Common Bluebottle, when it was just about to become a chrysalis.  It's not easy to find their caterpillars because they eat young leaves of camphorwood high up in trees and besides they are in transparent green.  But he is a specialist on finding them.  Thank you so much!  



アオスジアゲハのように頭を上にし、腹部に命綱(帯糸)をかけてついている蛹を帯蛹というらしい。 前蛹になるときに張った命綱とお尻を固定している糸座だけで垂直な面にくっつき、そこで落ちずに蛹になる脱皮をやってのけてしまうのだからすごい。幼虫の皮を最後に脱ぐとき、蛹の先を一度ぴょんと皮から抜いて、そのあとしっかり糸座に差し込んでいた。



ツマグロヒョウモンのようにお尻を枝などにつけて、頭を下にしてぶらさがっている蛹を垂蛹というようだ。
For the last few days, the colour of the Indian Fritillary's chrysalis got darker and darker.
And this morning, I was woken up by my mother shouting. The Indian Fritillary was already out of its pupa as a butterfly! It stretched its wings spending a long time. I wanted to see the orange wings but it kept still with its wings closed, showing only the dull brown side to us.



ようやく羽を広げてくれたので、表面を見たところ、褄が黒くないのでオスのようだ。

No comments:

Post a Comment