The dance of the unruly pupa. A pupa is the living, breathing, and often... wiggling... middle stage of complete metamorphosis. Pupae are usually calm and relatively stationary, making them easy to photograph in my mini white box studio. However, the pupae of some geometrids, like this Euchlaena species, have proven to be remarkably (and even annoyingly) hyperactive once they are disturbed and start to wiggle. After about ten minutes of watching this pupa spin on stage, I plopped it back in its

Pupa Slideshow: A pupa is the transitional life stage between the larva and adult forms in insects that undergo complete metamorphosis. All insects that undergo complete metamorphosis must experience a pupa stage, including butterflies and moths, beetles, flies, wasps, bees, ants, and others. A pupa is a living creature itself, not a case or covering. Depending on species, a pupa’s skin may be smooth and brown or heavily textured and colorful. However, there are some characteristics that can be

WHAT IS A PUPA? A CHRYSALIS? A COCOON? video: Hickory Horned Devil shedding into pupal form The "middle" stage of metamorphosis, the stage that is most overwhelmingly transformative, is continually being misunderstood and misrepresented by the media and even in educational and scientific literature. What is assumed common knowledge is more often than not, incorrect. At The Caterpillar Lab’s live caterpillar shows we work to help correct some of these metamorphic misconceptions, why not here on F