This stage enables some adult insects, such as butterflies, to have features that differ greatly from those of the larva. It also allows the developing insect to avoid such conditions as extreme heat and cold, famine, and drought. The pupa looks different in different species. Butterfly and moth pupae are mummylike with the wings, antennae, and legs encased in the pupal shell. The pupae of beetles, lacewings, and bees have legs and antennae that hang free.
Many insects form a cocoon of silk or other materials and pupate in it.
Most moths form cocoons. The butterfly pupa, called a chrysalis, hangs from a silklike pad and does not have a cocoon. Charles V. Covell, Jr., Ph.D., Professor of Biology, Univ. of Louisville. How to cite this article.