attaching?

[chanceychelsey]

This is my 4th year of actively raising Monarchs. I have peaked the interest of a co-worker who has 5 in total that she is looking after. We have been searching out the net for the answer- Does the caterpillar attach itself to the silk by it's back legs, or it's butt? Anyone know the answer?

Thanks

Waystation 927
Tottenham, Ontario

[Mona Miller]

http://clayruth.com/Content/Pupation.wmv
Watch this video. Actually it's the cremaster, which is located under the prolegs.

http://www.monarchwatch.org/biology/index.htm
PUPA
When it pupates, a Monarch larva splits its exoskeleton and wiggles out of its larval skin. When this skin moves far enough down the body, the cremaster appears. The cremaster is a spiny appendage at the end of the abdomen. The Monarch hooks its cremaster into a silk pad spun by the larva just before pupation; it will hang from this until it emerges as an adult. The freshly exposed pupa is very soft and delicate until it hardens. You can see many different body parts on the pupa, including the wings, abdomen, legs and eyes.

[chanceychelsey]

I realize the chrysalis attaches with the cremaster. I have been fortunate to witness this on numerous occasions. My question is-when the caterpillar attaches itself to hang in the "j", what does it hold on with?

Waystation 927
Tottenham, Ontario

[Mona Miller]

Did you watch the video? There is an explanation on that, but I'll post the information that was posted prior to the video.

http://clayruth.com/pupa.html
"The pupation process is fascinating to watch. Initially, the larva is suspended by its rear legs, whose tiny claws are embedded in a silk button that the larva has spun on its chosen support. These legs are part of the skin, which the pupa must now remove. The larval skin is delicately attached to the pupal skin in the area between the last two pairs of legs. As the hanging caterpillar wriggles, the larval skin splits behind the head and is gradually pushed upward toward the point of suspension. When the skin is all bunched up at the top, the pupa flexes to one side, withdrawing a spiny black stem from under the skin. Without the benefit of eyesight, the pupa skillfully thrusts the stem into the silk button, entangling its many tiny spines in the silk. It then gyrates wildly, breaking the bond between the larval and pupal skins that had supported it before, and drops the larval skin to the ground. It flexes a few more times to ensure that the skin is gone, then settles down to become a smooth chrysalis."