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| The small white cabbage butterfly (femail, adult) |
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We are studying the morphogenesis of the butterfly wing. The wing shape is developed during the pupal stage (accompanying cellular death) when great changes occur. Therefore, we are primarily studying the wings of the pupal stage. Since we use various spiecies in our experiments, we often ask other researcher to send us specimens that are in a state just before the pupal stage. The small white cabbage butterfly are the only ones we raise ourselves.
These are extremely convenient butterflies. They can be easily caught around the neighborhood from early spring to late fall. They lay eggs indoors on commercially available kaiware radishes. The larvae grow by eating artificial feed. Also, those that have reached the pupal stage indoors can be released inside cages, where the males and the females mate. If a kaiware radish is placed in the cage, the females will lay their eggs there. That's how they can be raised even in the winter.
We have discovered many interesting things with this butterfly. Our objective is to contribute to the understanding of the mechanism and evolution of shape design in living creatures through butterfly wing research. The role played by the cabbage buttfly in the future will be important.
(Akihiro Yoshida)
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Biohistory Journal, Spring, 2004
