Thread subject: Diptera.info :: Malformed butterfly (Vanessa cardui)

Posted by Tony Irwin on 29-05-2019 16:01
#3

That would be a weird one if it is a mutation, but I'm wondering whether the caterpillar's head capsule somehow got stuck on the end of the chrysalis during pupation, and slipped neatly over the butterfly's head on eclosion?
If you want to keep the specimen, I would suggest killing it in a freezer and then letting it air dry before packing lightly between tissue layers in a crush-proof box or tin.