Cocoon
A cocoon is a shell made of silk by most kinds of moth caterpillars and other insect larvae. Some butterfly larvae (in the family Hesperiidae and subfamilies Parnassiinae and Satyrinae) do spin cocoons.[1] However, most butterfly pupae are called chrysalids.[1] Some caterpillars attach small twigs or pieces of vegetation to the outside of their cocoon to hide it from predators. Others spin their cocoon in a hidden place. Examples would be on the underside of a leaf, in a crevice, or down near the base of a tree trunk.
Silkworm cocoons are processed and used to produce natural silk for clothing.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Smart, Paul (1977). "2". The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Butterfly World. Chartwell Books Inc. p. 33. ISBN 0-89009-093-9.