caterpillar cremaster

[Gerald Mines]

Hi again Sally,

Sunsol Daniels wrote:
> 
> I got an email that said it uses anal claspers.  Is that the same as anal
> prolegs?
> 
Yes.

> Ligament at the posterior end?  Really?  We videotaped the "stepping out"
> and that is not what we saw.  Is it different for different species?
> Where can I read about this process?
> 
The connective ligament will not be visible.  I've witnessed this
process several times with monarch butterflies.  It is certainly
possible that the process is different for other species.  You can read
a description of the process in James A. Scott's "Butterflies of North
America" on page 22.
Opler and Krizek's "Butterflies East of the Great Plains" also describes
the process on page 36, but makes no mention of any connective tissues
(ligament) between the pupa and the larval skin.

Gerald Mines
Omaha, Nebraska
http://www.tconl.com/~mines