pupa vs. chrysalis

[Bob Parcelles,Jr.]

I was also taught that pupa was the more general term whereas chrysalis
applied to lepidoptera, even though I have heard pupa used more often for
moths. I have never heard crhysalis applied to other  holometabolous
insects. I am interested in the moth designation. If I wasn't sitting bu
the window watching 6 species of butterflies in my garden I would walk
into the office and look it up.

Seriously, I am intrigued as to why it does not apply as well to skippers
(my fall warblers of the lep world).

Bob Parcelles, Jr.
Pinellas Park, Florida
Where we still have enough to do before we join the "flaming" wars. ;--)

--- "Stanley A. Gorodenski" <stanlep at extremezone.com> wrote:
> I always thought of 'chrysalis' applying to butterflies also, but now
> that the subject is brought up, it somehow doesn't seem to fit a
> skipper.
> 
> Martha Rosett Lutz wrote:
> > 
> > Robert Vandermoor wrote:
> > 
> > "Clarification pleeeeease !!!!
> > 
> >  Instinctively I have always referred to pupae as being distinct to a
> part
> > of the moth cycle and chrysalis distinct to a  part of the butterfly
> cycle.
> > I still find many knowledgeable lepidopterists interchanging the term
> pupae
> > or chrysalis"
> > 
> > Back in the 1970s I was taught (probably by Dr. George Eickwort, my
> first
> > entomology professor at Cornell) that 'pupa' is the designation for
> the
> > third life stage of a holometabolous insect (egg, larva, pupa, adult).
> > 'Chrysalis' is the specialized name for the pupa of a butterfly.
> > 
> > The pupal stage is found in butterflies and moths, and also in
> beetles,
> > bees, flies, and all other insects with complete metamorphosis.
> > 
> > A chrysalis is only found in butterflies.
> > 
> > In other words, I was formally taught that 'chrysalis' is a
> sub-category of
> > 'pupa,' and is specific to butterflies.
> > 
> > Was anyone else taught differently?  Since this is a matter of
> terminology,
> > it seems more important that we have a consensus understanding of the
> > meaning of the words than that we adopt any one's particular version,
> so I
> > would be grateful to hear from someone who learned it differently!
> > 
> > In Stride,
> > Martha Rosett Lutz
> > 



=====
Bob Parcelles, Jr
Pinellas Park, FL
rjparcelles at yahoo.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/naturepotpourri
http://rainforest.care2.com/welcome?w=976131876
 "One touch of nature makes the whole world kin."
                       --William Shakespeare

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