Pupa of the variable ladybird

On a seemingly simple green leaf, I found something interesting I'd never seen before. At first, I thought it was a snail; from the side, it looked very similar. It wasn't until I zoomed in that I realized it wasn't. I stopped worrying about its name and focused on photographing it. I'll let the inaturalist answer the question.

After taking the photo, I immediately uploaded my observation there. Inaturalist immediately suggested the name Coelophora inaequalis. After studying the description there, I realized that what I'd captured was a pupa of a variable ladybird, a member of the Coccinellidae family.

The pupa of this variable ladybird is slightly different from the pupa or cocoon of other insects. This variable ladybird's pupa clings tightly to the leaf's surface. I usually see pupa or cocoon attached to or hanging below the leaf's surface. In other words, they hide in places where predators can't easily see them. But this pupa was sitting comfortably on the leaf's surface.

I found more than five pupae at the site, each resting on a different leaf. However, they were all on the surface of the leaf. I'll have to return to this spot in a few days to see them in a different form. Hopefully, no predators will take these pupae.