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chrysalid the pupa of a moth or butterfly; chrysalis. [1/2 definitions]
chrysalis the hard outside covering on a moth or butterfly while it is a pupa, the stage before it becomes an adult with wings. Many kinds of moths and butterflies make a chrysalis instead of a cocoon. Chrysalis is also sometimes used as another name for the pupa itself.
cocoon a covering made by young insects and some other arthropods to protect themselves while they change from a pupa into an adult. Some spiders make cocoons to hide their eggs.
pupa an insect in a middle stage of its development, after it is a larva. Pupas do not eat or move; they are changing into their adult form. Many kinds of insects, including butterflies, spend their time as a pupa inside a cocoon.
pupate to become a pupa.
theca in biology, a case, covering, or sac that encloses an organ, part, or entire organism, such as the horny covering of an insect pupa or the spore case of a moss capsule.