Swallowtail eclosion by-product?

Added image, now you have two

Looking down into the jar:

When submitting, I had to choose "adult" or "immature" even though neither really applies and the data page shouldn't have an entry for a nonspecimen. An adult expelled the goo, so I picked "adult."

I believe editors have a Representative box to uncheck for pictures like this. My screen doesn't have one.

Any gender ID yet on the butterfly?

… R. Berg, 6 September, 2009 - 12:09am

Meconium

This substance is normal, and it is called meconium--the leftover stuff, I guess, from the process of changing to a butterfly from a caterpillar. We have one image here, from mourning cloaks:

… Charley Eiseman, 5 September, 2009 - 12:38pm

apparently from digestive tract

Yes, meconium, which is apparently the contents of the digestive tract formed while the butterfly/moth is in the pupal case. I have seen emerging Pipevine Swallowtails spray the stuff around as they emerge, and caught just a bit of that here.

… Cotinis, 5 September, 2009 - 12:57pm

Meconium

As I understand it, many Hymenoptera and Coleoptera larvae expel the accumulated fecal matter as meconium just before pupation; not after pupation as is the case here. It looks like a word for the glossary.

… Beatriz Moisset, 5 September, 2009 - 6:42pm

I've gone through the eclosio

I've gone through the eclosion process with several species (Painted Lady, White Admiral...) and the red meconium seemed to stain things as well as a dye! I'm sure many spectators to this event that don't know about routine exudate panic thinking it's blood. I had a couple of co-workers do that at a store I worked at. We sold the Insect Lore Butterfly Pavilion, and they FREAKED when they saw the meconium. I had to reassure them it was 'poo' and was nothing to worry about.

… Cassie Novak, 5 September, 2009 - 9:09pm