ABSTRACT

Many Lepidoptera secure their pupae to environmental substrates using a dual attachment system that consists of a cremaster and silk girdle. Although the cremaster has received a lot of attention because of its morphological complexity, the silk girdle is generally assumed to be just a loop of silk loosely encircling the pupa. Here, using Catopsilia pomona as a pierid model, it is shown that the articulation of the girdle with the pupal cuticle is precisely locked into the cuticle by a three-point system that consists of: (1) a groove on A1; (2) a notch produced by the lateral lip of the groove structure; and (3) ‘wire-bite’ across the lateral margins and dorsal wing buds of the pupae. The former two are anatomical, the latter involves subdermal embedding of the girdle into the cuticle during ecdysis. These three points of articulation restrict anterior-posterior, but not lateral, freedom of movement. Cuticular incorporation ensures the attachment is itself unyielding. Observations of pre-pupal ecdysis were used to ontogenetically pinpoint and describe the embedding process. This interaction with and involvement in the suspensory mechanism highlights an unnoticed role for moulting in lepidopteran metamorphosis.

摘要

许多鳞翅目使用由提睾器和丝带组成的双重附着系统将它们的蛹固定在环境基质上。尽管提睾丸因其形态复杂而受到很多关注，但通常认为丝带只是松散地环绕着蛹的一圈丝。在这里，使用Catopsilia pomona作为一个 pierid 模型，它表明腰带与蛹表皮的关节通过三点系统精确锁定到表皮中，该系统包括：（1）A1 上的凹槽；(2)凹槽结构的侧唇产生的缺口；(3)'铁丝咬'横跨蛹的侧缘和背翼芽。前两者是解剖学上的，后者涉及在蜕皮过程中将腰带皮下嵌入角质层中。 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 这三个关节点限制了前后运动的自由，但不限制侧面的运动自由。表皮结合确保附件本身是不屈服的。前蛹蜕皮的观察被用于个体遗传学精确定位和描述嵌入过程。