“1:30 a. m.--Larva about 21 mm., inactive and very dark, extended
on lower side of leaf, front of body high, head bent, holding with
third, fourth and anal prolegs. A few silk threads lie flat on leaf
near caudal end of body. After some little rippling of muscle (no
violent motion) the skin of the body separates from that of the head.
The former is very tight; slowly, segment by segment, it is skinned
backward until finally it is left, a crumpled, prickly black ball
about 4 mm. in diameter, fastened to the leaf by the aforementioned
silk. Meanwhile the head covering, which is all of a piece and bears
two large spines, slips forward until it appears to be held in the
mandibles as a hat might be held between the teeth. After a moment
it falls to the ground. The caterpillar now appears somewhat short
and a trifle thickened. The head, legs and prolegs are yellow,
the body orange. The spines are only half size, blunt, yellow and
semi-transparent. The branches appear as black hairs lying flat along
the sides of the spines.”
“11:33 a. m.--The spines have now attained practically their normal
size, springing out with astonishing rapidity. They are still blunt,
yellow and semi-transparent, but the black branches have reached normal
size and assumed their proper position. The two head spines, which were
curled backward, have taken on the usual angle. The head, body and
prolegs now appear orange rather than yellow, the head being lightest.
The drab dorsal stripe has appeared, but is very narrow. The row of
depressions, one in the dorsal center of each segment, is much more
conspicuous than usual.”
“11:50 a. m.--Appears quite normal again, except that the spines are
not quite as black, showing grayish toward the tips. The black frontal
markings appear. Caterpillar rests motionless.”
“12:10 p. m.--Turns about and begins to devour the cast-off skin. With
the lens I watched it begin at the tip of one of the big spines and
consume it clear to the root, apparently in about three mouthfuls. The
head covering is never eaten.”
“12:30 p. m.--Skin practically consumed. Larva rests motionless, a few
of the surplus spines resting beneath the head and thorax.”
PUPATION
“10:00 a. m.--Caterpillar, 37 mm. long, leaves food plant and begins
to wander restlessly about.
“1:00 p. m.--Extended motionless, clinging to under side of window
frame.
“2:30 p. m.--Same position.
“3:30 p. m.--Begins to lay a sparse, ragged network of very fine
threads flat to the surface, covering a space of perhaps an inch
square. These threads become thinner toward the periphery of the net,
where they are hardly visible without a lens.
“4:00 p. m.--Spins a little white silk button in the center of the
network. The head moves slowly out horizontally in all directions from
the button about one-half inch, swinging always back to the center. The
body is fully extended, the abdomen being away from the button.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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