Fresh Sheet - January 8, 2010

“Fresh Sheet” is our weekly shipment report of pupae on display in the emerging window. Visit Pacific Science Center’s Tropical Butterfly House and meet our newest residents.


El Salvador

6 - Agraulis vanilla (Gulf Fritllary)
25 - Battus belus (Belus Swallowtail)
20 - Caligo memnon (Owl Butterfly)
25 - Catonephele numilia (Numilia)
20 - Heliconius erato(Small Postman)
10 - Heliconius hecale(Tiger Longwing)
10 - Lycorea cleobaea (Large Tiger)
100 - Morpho peleides(Blue Morpho)
10 - Morpho polyphemus (White Morpho)
25 - Myselia cyaniris (Blue Wave Butterfly)
25 - Myscelia ethusa (Royal Blue Butterfly)
07 - Papilio cresphontes (Giant Swallowtail)
25 - Papilio pilumnus (Three-tailed Swallowtail)
10 - Papilio thoas (Thoas Swallowtail)
15 - Parides montezuma (Montezuma Cattleheart)
10 - Prepona omphale=archeoprepona omphale (Blue Belly-Button)
25 - Tithorea harmonia (Harmonia Tigerwing)


Los Angeles

10 - Ariadne Ariadne (Angled Castor)
10 - Athyma perius (Common Sergeant)
10 - Cethosia cyane (Leopard Lacewing)
10 - Chilasa clytia(Common Mime)
08 - Charaxes violetta (Violet-spotted Emperor)
07 - Chilasa clytia(Common Mime)
10 - Euploea core(Common Crow)
10 - Graphium agamemnon (Tailed Jay)
10 - Graphium antheus(Large Striped Swordtail)
10 - Hypolimnas bolina (Great Eggfly)
06 - Ideopsis juventa(Wood Nymph)
02 - Junonia almanac (Peacock Pansy)
06 - Junonia lemonias (Lemon Pansy)
08 - Kallima inachus(Dead Leaf)
10 - Lexias dirtea (Archduke)
10 - Pachliopta kotzeboea (Pink Rose)
10 - Papilio constantinus (Constantines's Swallowtail)
10 - Papilio demodocus (Orchard Swallowtail)
10 - Papilio helenus (Red Helen)
10 - Papilio lowii (Sunset Swallowtail)
10 - Papilio nephelus (Yellow Helen)
20 - Papilio nireus (Blue-banded Swallowtail)
17 - Papilio ophidicephalus (Emperor Swallowtail)
10 - Papilio polytes (Polite Swallowtail)
10 - Papilio rumanzovia (Crimson Swallowtail)
10 - Parthenos sylvia lilacinus (Blue Clipper)
10 - Parthenos sylvia philppensis (The Clipper)

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How to Watch a Sea Urchin

It can be fun to visit Pacific Science Center on a busy day or to watch something thrilling in the Boeing Imax theater.

But there is a whole other experience to be had on a quiet day. There is time to stroll from one exhibit to the next. In the butterfly house, there is time to smell the flowers. At the tide pool there is time to stop and watch the sea urchins. These mostly vegetarian creatures live to amazing ages – some may be as old as 200 years. Isn’t it worth a little time out of our days to check them out?



Like sea stars, urchins are echinoderms, a group of animals with tube feet, a five-sided body plan and a bumpy skeleton, or test, just under their skin. As their name suggests, the sea stars sometimes hog the limelight, but the urchins are well worth a second look.

The first thing you notice about a sea urchin is its long spines. These are hard and rigid, and are used for movement, defense and to snare bits of seaweed, which the urchins eat. But look more closely and you will see little long, flexible strands called tube feet or pedicellarines, moving about between each of the stiff spines. Their tube feet can grab and hold food and can also help the animal cling to surfaces and sense where it is going. If an urchin loses spines or tube feet, it can eventually grow them back, but this takes months and is stressful to the animal. Instead of touching an urchin, hold a finger between its spines and it will move them to softly squeeze your finger.



If you see an urchin against the glass of the tide pool, there is a good chance you can see its mouth, which is on the underside. The mouth is five sided, beak-like, and has the unusual name of Aristotle’s lantern. When an urchin eats, it passes seaweed to the mouth using its tube feet, like a conveyer belt. This is very exciting to watch, if you can accept that it will take a while. If you see an urchin in the process of eating, plan on spending the next half hour watching in fascination.

Urchins do not have a central nervous system. Information from their many spines and tube feet is passed into a net of neurons, which processes information and helps them go toward food and away from danger. Watch an urchin walk. They may walk slowly, but they are a bundle of moving parts as they go, tube feet waving, spines tapping. The urchin probes the area ahead of it with its spines, much as a blind person might use a cane to test the ground. Then the spines and tube feet convey the animal forward. Urchins almost always keep their mouth side against a surface. But they do not have a forward and backward. If they change direction, they do not need to turn and “face” a new way, as we would, but simply start going that way.



Right now, Pacific Science Center’s two urchins are on the move. Normally they have staked out a small territory in the deep end, but in recent weeks they might be found anywhere in the tide pool. Not only that, but they are usually in motion, racing along at nearly an inch per minute! Over time, urchins will excavate small areas in a stone outcropping, which become their homes.

Come take a look, and expect to leave with a better appreciation of a very different life form. Although we encourage you to take your time and watch these animals, the time frame for this process is years, so do not plan on observing it in a single visit. Better yet, check in on the urchins whenever you like. Consider a Pacific Science Center membership plan!

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New Year's Message

Francisco and Carolina Serrano are Pacific Science Center tropical butterfly vendors at Bioproductores de El Salvador. The Life Sciences Department always looks forward to receiving emails from them. They remind us of our connections with others, and that butterfly farming brings us closer to the efforts of so many who care about preserving wild habitats and small economies.


Dear Friends and Colleagues:

No doubt 2009 has been a challenging year, and we can expect more challenges and adventures in 2010. However, for all the hardships and tight moments, we should also well expect that such circumstances will lead to many improvements and opportunities that in fact might not even have appeared were it not for such developments.

When we think about how much we have gained, not simply from having to focus attention and action much better and more carefully, but also from much good advice, warm support or even "simply" shared thoughts, we sense the need of even greater care to make sure that we do not waste, but rather integrate and hopefully grow with, these inputs and recommendations from so many good hearts and heads. Many have stressed how fortunate and encouraging it is to be in "the butterfly business", with its way of life, that brings together so much idealism and good feelings, as well as growth and even relief on many occasions.

But again, these are very challenging moments in which we will most likely benefit considerably from our sharing of thought and guidance. From this small but ever striving country of El Salvador, we wish you all the many achievements and satisfactions that you all so much deserve in both your professional and personal aspirations.

Francisco & Carolina Serrano
BP / ES, December 29th, 2009

The above photo is of a Morpho polyphemus. As we only get them from El Salvador, you would know that it was raised by Francisco’s folks if you saw one in the Tropical Butterfly House. This butterfly is ghostly or angelic, like the spirit of the new year. Happy New Year to all!

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Fresh Sheet – January 1, 2010

“Fresh Sheet” is our weekly shipment report of pupae on display in the emerging window. Visit Pacific Science Center’s Tropical Butterfly House and meet our newest residents.


Costa Rica

09 - Archeoprepona demophon (One-spotted Prepona)
32 - Battus polydamas (Polydamus Swallowtail)
21 - Caligo eurilochus (Forest Giant Owl)
14 - Caligo memnon (Owl Butterfly)
11 - Catonephele mexicana(Mexican Catone)
02 - Catonephele numilia (Numilia)
07 - Catonephele orites (Orange-banded shoemaker)
02 - Chlosyne janais (Crimson Patch)
09 - Colobura dirce (Mosaic butterfly)
36 - Danaus plexippus (The Monarch)
25 - Dryas iulia (Julia Longwing)
17 - Hamadryas amphinome (Red Calico)
10 - Hamadryas feronia (Variable Calico)
11 - Heliconius cydno (Cydno Longwing)
24 - Heliconius hecale(Tiger Longwing)
21 - Heliconius ismenius(Ismenius Longwing)
08 - Heliconius melpomene(Postman)
03 - Heliconius sapho(Sapho Longwing)
21 - Heraclides anchisiades (Ruby-spotted Swallowtail)
32 - Hypna clytemnestra(Silver-studded Leafwing)
18 - Mechanitis polymnia(Polymnia Tigerwing)
35 - Morpho peleides(Blue Morpho)
20 - Papilio androgeus (Androgeus Swallowtail)
10 - Parides iphidamas(Iphidamas or Transandean Cattleheart)
39 - Siproeta epaphus(Rusty-tipped Page)
11 - Siproeta stelenes(Malachite)

Total = 448 pupae

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