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Nearly invisible
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
Pupa of the Citrus swallowtail - Papilio demodocus
"This is the common, large black and pale yellow butterfly seen regularly in gardens in South Africa and also occurring in natural vegetation. It occurs in open, often disturbed, habitats throughout Africa south of the Sahara, as well as on the Cape Verde Islands, Madagascar and Mauritius (Ackery et al. 1995). It can be a pest of citrus saplings in nurseries and, although found on mature citrus trees, does not cause sufficient damage to warrant instituting control measures. On young plants, if larvae and pupae do reach high levels, the best control procedure is evidently to simply pick them off by hand.
The caterpillar spins a mat of silk on a twig or leaf of the host plant to which it attaches the tip of its abdomen. It pupates within 2 days, first spinning a girdle of silk to hold itself in a slanting position. The pupal period lasts 2-3 weeks." (Ref: Iziko Museums of Cape Town)
I found this pupa totally by accident. Attached to a wall it was just barely visible. Evidently it decided that to be a nice place to hang around. Note the girdle of silk it spun as support |
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great camouflage, TFS Ori
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 88 W: 5 N: 76]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-n-g.gif){kind=small}
hi Irmgard! that's most unusual and fascinating camouflage.. where do you get all your info from?
regards
w