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Index of Subjects Thanks Chris; This is exactly what I saw; it was thicker than the clear liquid I watched being ejected from time to time during the 'drying' period. Eleanor Christopher Majka wrote: > Hi Eleanor, > > On 12-Sep-06, at 9:26 AM, Eleanor Lindsay wrote: > >> One other thing: I noted at the time a few small drops of an almost >> raspberry-red coloured substance directly below the cocoon (visible >> on a photo) which I did not think had been there before the butterfly >> emerged; what would this be? > > This is the "/meconium/." E.B. Ford, in his book "Butterflies" writes: > > "About this time (the emergence of the adult) a large drop of thick > reddish fluid, the /meconium/, is ejected from the anus. It represents > the stored up excretory products of the pupa, from which most of the > water has been removed by the action of the Malpighian tubules. The > drops of this /meconium/, produced when great numbers of butterflies > have emerged, have given rise to fabes of a "shower of blood." > > This process happens at the time of emergence of the butterfly since > a pupa has no mechanism to excrete metabolic by products. > > All the best, > > Chris > > _._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._. > > Christopher Majka - Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History > > 1747 Summer Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 3A6 > > (902) 424-6435 Email <c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca > <mailto:c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca>> > > _._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._. > >
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Index of Subjects