- Soon after everting its anterior spiracles, the larval body shortens and the cuticle becomes hardened and pigmented.
- A headless and wingless pre-pupa form.
- This stage is followed by the formation of the pupa with everted head, wing pads, and legs.
- The puparium (outer case of the pupa) thus utilizes the cuticle of the third larval instar.
- The adult structures that seem to appear first during the pupal period have actually been present as small areas of dormant tissues as far back as the embryonic stage. These localized pre-adult tissues are called Anlagen (or imaginal discs).
- The main function of the pupa is to permit the development of the Anlagen to adult proportions.
- The breakdown of larval tissues to furnish material and energy for this development is, therefore, a prime feature of pupal metabolism.
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