How to determine what stage a Chrysina Larvae is in?
- Thread starter DaganH
- Start date
Goliathus
Pachnoda
Here's a photo of some L2 and L3 C. gloriosa -
https://junsukkim.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/dscn4994.jpg
The size of the head, legs, and spiracles are the key indicators of the instars. A freshly molted L2 can be the same physical size as a full-grown L1, but a full-grown L2 will of course be much larger than a full-grown L1. Same for a freshly molted L3 vs. a full-grown L2. At each molt, the size of the larva's hard (sclerotized) body parts increase in size very noticeably - it's only the larva's skin that is capable of expansion between molts.
https://junsukkim.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/dscn4994.jpg
The size of the head, legs, and spiracles are the key indicators of the instars. A freshly molted L2 can be the same physical size as a full-grown L1, but a full-grown L2 will of course be much larger than a full-grown L1. Same for a freshly molted L3 vs. a full-grown L2. At each molt, the size of the larva's hard (sclerotized) body parts increase in size very noticeably - it's only the larva's skin that is capable of expansion between molts.