A chrysalis (Latin: 

chrysallis, from Ancient Greek: χρυσαλλίς, chrysallís, plural: chrysalides,

also known as an aurelia) or nympha is the pupal stage of butterflies. The term is derived
from the metallic–gold coloration found in the pupae of many butterflies, referred to by
the Ancient Greek term χρυσός (chrysós) for gold.
When the caterpillar is fully grown, it makes a button of silk which it uses to fasten its
body to a leaf or a twig. Then the caterpillar's skin comes off for the final time. Under
this old skin is a hard skin called a chrysalis.[12]
Because chrysalises are often showy and are formed in the open, they are the most
familiar examples of pupae. Most chrysalides are attached to a surface by a Velcro-like
arrangement of a silken pad spun by the caterpillar, usually cemented to the underside of
a perch, and the cremastral hook or hooks protruding from the rear of the chrysalis
or cremaster at the tip of the pupal abdomen by which the caterpillar fixes itself to the
pad of silk. (Gr. kremastos 'suspended')[13]
Like other types of pupae, the chrysalis stage in most butterflies is one in which there is
little movement. However, some butterfly pupae are capable of moving the abdominal
segments to produce sounds or to scare away potential predators. Within the chrysalis,
growth and differentiation occur.[14] The adult butterfly emerges (ecloses) from this and
expands its wings by pumping haemolymph into the wing veins.[15] Although this sudden
and rapid change from pupa to imago is often called metamorphosis, metamorphosis is
really the whole series of changes that an insect undergoes from egg to adult.
When emerging, the butterfly uses a liquid, sometimes called cocoonase, which softens
the shell of the chrysalis. Additionally, it uses two sharp claws located on the thick joints
at the base of the forewings to help make its way out. [16] Having emerged from the
chrysalis, the butterfly will usually sit on the empty shell in order to expand and harden
its wings. However, if the chrysalis was near the ground (such as if it fell off from its silk
pad), the butterfly would find another vertical surface to rest upon and harden its wings
(such as a wall or fence).
Moth pupae are usually dark in color and either formed in underground cells, loose in
the soil, or their pupa is contained in a protective silk case called a cocoon. The pupa of
some species such as the hornet moth develop sharp ridges around the outside called
adminicula that allow the pupa to move from its place of concealment inside a tree
trunk when it is time for the adult to emerge.[17]
Pupa, chrysalis, and cocoon are frequently confused, but are quite distinct from each
other. The pupa is the stage between the larva and adult stages. The chrysalis generally
refers to a butterfly pupa although the term may be misleading as there are some
moths whose pupae resembles a chrysalis, e.g.: the plume winged moths of the
family Pterophoridae and some geometrid moths. A cocoon is a silk case that the larvae of
moths, and sometimes other insects, spin around the pupa.