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#000000"><b>Reply-To: </b>< --Apple-Mail-155-988041972 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi Jim, On 13-Jun-08, at 11:56 AM, James W. Wolford wrote: > JUNE 7, 2008 - PHOTOS taken of an adult male CECROPIA MOTH that just > "hatched" overnight from a cocoon that was found at Starr's Point > earlier this Spring (April). In the large jar in which I kept the > cocoon after Spring was well advanced, below the "hatched" cocoon > and new moth was a puddle of thick, creamy-coloured LIQUID that > looked a bit like the uric acid and feces mixture that comes from > birds. Can anyone help with what that expelled fluid represents? > (accumulated wastes from the caterpillar and pupa and metamorphosis?). > Yes. This is called the meconium. Pupae are unable to excrete so they have to wait until metamorphosis into the imago (adult stage) before excreting accumulated waste products. These can be very considerable since the majority of larval structures and even organs are destroyed during pupation and new organs arise from bundles of reserve cells called "imaginal buds." In Lepidoptera, the wings are formed, de novo, during this process. As you can imagine, these autolytic processes generate a large number of metabolic by-products. Lepidoptera have to be very efficient at isolating these waste products so that the pupa doesn't poison itself and die during this process. Large numbers of simultaneously emerging butterflies and/or moths, shedding these drops of (frequently) red-coloured meconium, have given rise to fables of a, "rain of blood." :-> Cheers! Chris Christopher Majka Nova Scotia Museum, 1747 Summer St., Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 3A6 c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca --Apple-Mail-155-988041972 Content-Type: text/html; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <html><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; = -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Hi Jim,<div><br><div><div>On = 13-Jun-08, at 11:56 AM, James W. Wolford wrote:</div><br = class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type=3D"cite"><div = style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; = -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "> <div style=3D"word-wrap: = break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: = after-white-space; "><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" = size=3D"3" style=3D"font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; = "><b>JUNE 7, 2008</b> - <b>PHOTOS taken</b> of an adult = male <b>CECROPIA MOTH</b> that just "hatched" overnight from a = cocoon that was found at Starr's Point earlier this Spring = (April). In the large jar in which I kept the cocoon after = Spring was well advanced, below the "hatched" cocoon and new moth was = a <b>puddle of thick, creamy-coloured LIQUID</b> that looked a = bit like the uric acid and feces mixture that comes from = birds. Can anyone help with what that expelled fluid = represents? (accumulated wastes from the caterpillar and pupa and = metamorphosis?). </font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal = normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; = "><br></div></div></div></blockquote><br></div><div>Yes. This is called = the <i>meconium</i>. Pupae are unable to excrete so they have to wait = until metamorphosis into the imago (adult stage) before excreting = accumulated waste products. These can be very considerable since the = majority of larval structures and even organs are destroyed during = pupation and new organs arise from bundles of reserve cells called = "imaginal buds." In Lepidoptera, the wings are formed, <i>de novo</i>, = during this process. As you can imagine, these autolytic = processes generate a large number of metabolic by-products. = Lepidoptera have to be very efficient at isolating these waste = products so that the pupa doesn't poison itself and die during = this process. Large numbers of simultaneously emerging butterflies = and/or moths, shedding these drops of (frequently) = red-coloured <i>meconium</i>, have given rise to fables of a, "rain = of blood." = :-></div><div><br></div><div>Cheers!</div><div><br></div><div>Chris</div><= div><br></div><div apple-content-edited=3D"true"> <span = class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"border-collapse: separate; = border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; = font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: = normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; = -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; = -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; = white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><div = style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; = -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; "><div>Christopher = Majka</div><div>Nova Scotia Museum, 1747 Summer St., Halifax, Nova = Scotia, Canada B3H 3A6</div><div><a = href=3D"mailto:c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca">c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca</a></div><= div><br class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></div></div><br = class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"></span> = </div><br></div></body></html>= --Apple-Mail-155-988041972--
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