Hello all,
This has me bugging for years now. Does anyone know what the white powdery substance is that can be found on anthereae cocoons?
Well, "on" might not be the correct word, it's more like "in", like trapped between the layers of silk and it falls out when you pull the layers of silk apart.
Does anyone know what it is and what it's function is?
I also noticed that the few individuals that pupate without spinning a cocoon are covered in that same white stuff when they are close to becoming a prepupa.
Please enlighten me!
Anna