Hi Elizabeth, I made the mistake of putting a chrysalis upside down, and it didn't emerge well--its wing development was affected, and I had to euthanize it. It was a very sad day for me.

If you can, it's best if you can put them in the correct position following the Burris book. Do they still have their girdles (that string of silk they use to tie themselves to the stick or whatever they used to pupate on)?

Good luck!

Because I used to raise many thousands leps every year, space was a concern and few of my pupae were just left "as they hung". I routinely cut the girdles, carefully pulled the cremaster and simply laid them "right side up" in special containers I made that had rows of gentle hills and valley's (sort of like a wash board). I made them out of wood using a router BTW, and in several sizes for different size pupae. But heavy cardboard (like a large kitchen appliance comes in) would work by just peeling one side off and revealing the corrugated interior. The later would be use and toss out though as they can not be sterilized like wood can. A layer of paper towel went down first, then the pupae, and I provided climbing screens every few rows supported by standoffs on the ends. You could do they same with just sticks for a set up that won't be used over and over. Was a simple matter when they first eclosed to get free of the pupal case (cremaster hangs up on the paper towel), find and climb a screen and spread their wings. I lost very few from the hordes raised from failing to fully spread, and even those could have been the same ones that in nature also fail to spread for whatever reason.

Just keep in mind not to strain the girdles when you cut them (use small, sharp scissors), or the cremaster as you free it from the silk pad. A long pointed pair a tweezers works well for this - just grab right above the silk pad and gently pull the pupa off the pad. And remember that wing veins are very easy to perforate before they are fully extended and dry.

Hope this helps... have fun and luck,

Larry

Thanks Bernergrrl. Some have their girdles still attatched others do not.

Larry;
I am having trouble visualizing. Were the chrysalises lying flat or slightly inclined? How did you determine which way was the "right side"? It seems like those with girdles have the cremaster on the bottom or hung horizontally, and everybody else is suspended vertically by the cremaster.

It's amazing how often I have seen chrysalises but until I had to actually attatch some I never gave it a thought as to how they were attatched.

Thanks again for your help,
Elisabeth

I have an easy way to "hang" chryaslis, especially those that make girdles. Take an old washcloth or material like pelon (for those who don't sew, its what is put in collars to make them stiff). Take sewing thread and make a loop, I usually go three or four times back through the cloth and knot it on the backside of the cloth so the loop stays the size you want it. Use either tape or velcro and attach the cloth to your cage. If it is going to be outside, the velcro sometimes comes loose in the dampness when it rains so try whatever works best for your weather. Once it is hung, sit the chrysalis in the loop. It is like it is hanging by its girdle. I have never had a failure using this method and if you have a chrysalis on a stick or stem that is dried out, you can set the stem or stick in the loop. The loop is usually about the size of my pointing finger. You will just have to try to see the size you need.

Pupal orientation depends on the family. Of those families that do "hang" from a cremaster, their species that do not use a girdle for extra support usually just hang verticle from the cremaster letting gravity keep them mostly head down. Those species that do use the girdle tend to orient with the cremaster down and the pupae held and supported by the girdle mostly head up from the cremaster. I say "mostly" for both instances because in nature pupation sites may be limited and so choices of true "verticle" attachments may also be limited. And just like with people, some larva don't seem to know up from down.

With my method, the pupae lie flat running lengthwise in the valley's (or troughs) of the wood or cardboard corrugation, with the hills keeping them oriented right side up. Think of it as pupae lined up all in a row head to toe in each valley with some space between them. Right side up is putting them so the side the imago will emerge from is up. Very easy to determine - will be the opposite side from where the girdle attached to the branch.

Larry

Even better, I'll add some pictures that are worth a thousand words...

I rotated this picture of a Palilio pupae to show the position it would lay in my method. If you rotated the picture 90 degress left it would approximate the natural pupation position.

{{gwi:501062}}

Pupae in valley's of peeled cardboard...

{{gwi:501063}}

"And just like with people, some larva don't seem to know up from down." LOL!

The pictures are so helpful! I always had a hard time with orientation. Just ask my Organic Chemistry professor :).

I will try a couple different methods and see what works for my situation. My hubby is always looking for an excuse to use his router.

Thanks again. This is the best forum. You guys(and gals)are always so helpful.
Elisabeth

Larry, That is so cool how you did that!! I am actually having an issue with an Eastern Black Swallowtail that pupated in a funky position. He put his girdle in a weird position, so I'm worried about him. I may try your method to help support him better.

I know someone else has asked you, but I hope you're writing a book in which you share all your neato tricks of the trade with us amateurs!

Yes, and I hope you are including some of your stories from your BF exploits.

Sandy

Elisabeth, just have your hubby use appropriate sizes of either non piloted half round or V groove chamfer bits to make evenly spaced rows in a block that will fit in your emergence cage(s). He'll know what they are. Pick a hardwood that can stand up to resterilization and moisture and they will last for many years. Cherry and teak are a couple of good choices that are cheap and easy to find. Clear polycarbonate or white delrin blocks reploished smooth after routing are even better, can be bought cheap in many thicknesses and will last a lifetime.

Sorry folks, only you are having to put up with my rambling on about species specifics, the equipment menthods I devised over the years and some of the stories of those wonderful years. I've done the only book I'll ever do on Lepidoptera. While I have nothing else to do mostly, it's hard enough for me to sit and type here except in fairly short sessions without trying to do another book. All of what I've learned over the years that's important is in my lep journals that will stay with my synoptic collection, so it won't be lost. Since it's looking like I won't feel up to making the trip to HI for the summer, I'll add more specifics as they come up. You all can carry the word on for me to the next generation of budding new Lepidopterists.