My female Lucanus elaphus seems like she's stuck in her pupa. The legs are all free but the wings won't come out. What can I do to help her?
Pupa Problem
- Thread starter Ratmosphere
- Start date
Shade of Eclipse
Fresh Imago
There's unfortunately little you can do when an insect fails to molt properly. If it's just a limb, you can try to help it out of the exuvium if it hasn't had a chance to harden yet. Messing with the wings usually results in deformed wings and trying to aid in removing the exuvium from parts of the body can result in failing to remove the exoskeletal lining of the tracheal system. Attempting to give aid after the exoskeleton has begun to harden will only cause damage, bleeding, and probable fatality.
So I should just wait it out?
Looks like she is just giving up.
Shade of Eclipse
Fresh Imago
Insects need to molt quickly or else their exoskeletons start to harden and they become incapable of escaping their old exoskeletons. With most insects, failure to successfully escape their exoskeletons within 20 minutes of initiating a molt usually means they will become stuck and die. With beetles, their legs usually come loose of their exoskeletons well before they initiate their molt and escape their old exoskeleton from a split in their dorsal surface through a series of muscle contractions.
Wow.
