Butterfly pupae: alive or dead?

    Hello everyone,


    Can anyone tell me how I can determine if butterfly pupae are alive?


    This summer I discovered that Papilio pupae that sunk in water, were alive. Pupae that floated above the water, were all infected with parasites.


    Today I received a number of Papilio sp. pupae that have movable abdomens and they are translucent like live pupae. None of them contain developing adults. In water, half of them sink and the others float just beneath the surface. Is this a reliable sign that they are dead?


    Kind regards,
    Klaas

    • https://www.exotic-insects.com
    ANZEIGE

    in order to float they need to either be less than 0.1 g in weight, or be filled with air, I'm this case dried up or parasitic. I had 2 papilio machaon that didn't move or where heavy but hatched into healthy adults. No way to 100% tell if they are alive.

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