10 July 2008

Monarch - first instar


Last month TYWKIWDBI had an entry announcing the first Monarch butterfly egg of the year. I realize now I never posted any followup, so it's time to correct that. We now have collected about a dozen eggs, and the first instars have emerged. The one in the photo above is typical, chewing his way through a leaf of a milkweed plant. The U.S. dime is in the photo to provide a perspective re size.

The term "instar" is a direct use of a Latin word, literally "stand-in," or more conventionally an "image." As this instar matures (he eats constantly), he will outgrow his skin, shed it, and become a second instar, third instar, etc - but we'll just call them by the familiar term "caterpillars*."

*the etymology of which appears to be complex and uncertain: "catyrpel" of 1440, derived from French "chatepelose" (?), meaning "hairy cat" (cf. "pile", "pilose", from Latin "pilus" = "hair"; "pill", as in either medicine lozenge or fuzzball, like the hairballs cats regurgitate up, from Latin "pila" = "ball, originally knot of hair"). See also pussy willows and catkins, similar shapes and fuzzinesses associated with the feline.

Or is it from "piller", meaning "pillager/ravager", and "cate", meaning "food" (root of today's "caterer"), as caterpillars devour leaves? (credit re caterpillar etymology to bugbios)

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