Queen Butterfly Chrysalis

It is a bit wrinkled looking on the bottom in photo 4, but I believe that is where the head is, and since this pupa seems ready to emerge, you can see the definition of it's body parts, which could account for the wrinkling.

Turn Photo No. 4, upside down on your computer. Now, look at Photo No. 4. I do not see, a healthy butterfly, that is about to emerge. I still see a diseased pupa. The color of Machi's pupa, black and brown, is the same colors as my 3, dead, diseased Pupae. Yes, it was a long time ago, but I still remember, everything that happened to my 3, Monarch Pupae. Thank you Christine, for your very nice, and very kind help....

In photo No. 4, one side of this pupa, is a little wrinkled, and a little pushed in. This might cause some injury, to this emerging butterfly?....I apologize for my error. Where are the photos, of this emerging butterfly?

Here’s an example of a pupa that became diseased for comparison: https://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/77...

@maplemoth, That’s terrible that your pupae were diseased. The one pictured in Machi’s spotting is a healthy Queen pupa though. The chrysalis can turn dark and gooey, as you described, when it is diseased; but, the pupa also appears to turn dark when the healthy butterfly inside is mature and ready to emerge. In this instance, you can clearly see the butterfly inside this chrysalis - the markings and overall structure. It is ready to emerge and the outside of the chrysalis is clear so you can see the dark butterfly inside.

Many years ago, on three different occasions, I had a normal Monarch pupa, change into a diseased, dead pupa. Each of the three, normal Monarch Pupae, was resting on the floor of one of my terrariums, waiting to eclose into a normal Monarch butterfly. For the first three or four days, everything was okay. The Monarch Pupa, was a nice green color. Overnight, something happened. When I woke up the next morning, the Monarch pupa, had changed from a nice green color, to a black and brown color. Something happened overnight, to change this normal Monarch pupa, to a diseased Monarch pupa. This is the same black and brown color, of the pupa, that's in your photo. This black and brown color, is the color of death. Your black and brown pupa, is dead. I waited three days, then I put this black and brown pupa, between two of my fingers, and then squeezed. A, greenish-brownish liquid, came out of this pupa. This pupa is dead. There is only liquid, inside this pupa. No butterfly. This has happened to three of my Monarch Pupae. All three Monarch Pupae, was black and brown in color, and all three Monarch Pupae, were diseased and dead. All three Monarch Pupae, was full of a greenish-brownish liquid. No butterfly inside. Dead larvae and Pupae, often turn dark brown or black, within a few hours of death. These butterfly Pupae deaths, could have been caused by a parasite, pathogen, bacteria, or any number of causes. The butterfly pupa, that is in your photo, is a diseased pupa, and a dead pupa....

maplemoth why do you think it was diseased?

Christine, I agree. I changed the species because I am not seeing the wing venation either.

I'm curious too about whether it emerged. I think it's a Queen because at this stage, the "stained glass veins" of a Monarch would be obvious through the chrysalis. Those black wing vein markings aren't visible in these photos. Also, you can see (in the 2nd photo), the classic white dots on a Queen. The last way that I can tell that this is a Queen is by the gold dots - Monarchs have 3 at the bottom of the chrysalis, while Queens only have 2...This chrysalis only has 2.

Did this butterfly emerge from its pupa today? If yes, did you take any photos? Was it a Monarch butterfly, or was it a Queen butterfly?

Thanks Christine. I shouldn't have assumed. Most of our caterpillars were monarchs but I did see a couple that looked like Queens... and maplemoth, they turn dark when they are about to emerge.

Cool spotting. This looks more like a Queen butterfly though.