leps in French

[sch]

>
> Subject: leps in French
> Date: Wed, 17 May 2000 14:54:40 -0400
> From: Ernest Williams <ewilliam at hamilton.edu>
> To: LEPS-L at lists.yale.edu
>
> French-speaking LEPS-L folks,

> 1. Are moths always referred to as "les papillons de nuit"?  That brought
> about some confusion when I said some papillons de nuit are active during
> the day.
>

"les papillons de nuit" and "les papillons de jour" in current language are not related to
systematic and classification of Lepidoptera but to what we can observe in current life .If we
want to relate it  to systematic ,we can have "les papillons de jour" which are Rhopalocera
and "les papillons de nuit" which are Heterocera even if this division is not now completely
true. Among Heterocera as every body knows some of them have diurnal activities ...

>
> 2. Is  "chenille" a general term for any caterpillar, or are there
> additional terms?

"chenille" is reserved for larva of Lepidoptera , other terms are employed for other families
of insects :"larve" is general but we can have "asticot" for flies ,...

> 3. What is the French word for pupa?  The kids all understood "cocoon", but
> the teachers from Paris had no idea what a pupa is, while the American
> teachers of French (who've heard me before) know what a pupa is but have no
> French word for it.

pupa is "pupe" . We use more "chrysalide" for  Rhopalocera  and "chrysalide" or "cocon"
depending the case for Heterocera if the pupae is protected or not by a cocoon .Understood
that inside  each "cocon" there is a "chrysalide" .


>
> 4. What is the French word for wing scales?
>

"écailles"

Hope this will help.

Pierre Schmit