[NatureNS] Eleanor's "moth"

Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2006 09:04:17 -0300
From: Eleanor Lindsay <az678@chebucto.ns.ca>
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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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