noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru'
pupation
Biological term for the process of becoming a pupa. Used in entomology and life-cycle descriptions.
幼虫は蛹化して蛹になった。
The larva pupated and became a pupa.
この昆虫は土の中で蛹化する。
This insect pupates in the soil.
羽化 refers to eclosion (emergence from the pupa), while 蛹化 is the earlier process of becoming a pupa.
Compound of 蛹 (pupa) and 化 (change, transformation).