Science fiction story about aliens that turn into butterfly or moth-like creatures at the end of their lives

Question

A long time ago (not later than the early Nineties) I read a novel or a short story that I'd wish to read again but haven't been able to find so far.
It's science fiction, probably written in the Sixties, and it featured peaceful aliens on their planet: human researchers on that planet were interacting with them and trying to understand their society.

Sadly I only remember one thing about the plot: the aliens had an insect-like life cycle and at one point they went into a metamorphosis, at whose end they were turned into a mindless, thoughtless butterfly or moth-like creature for a short while, just before dying.
And they spent their whole lives in expectation for this short moment of utter joy.

But the human protagonist unwillingly caused an incident where one of these aliens was crippled somehow: a consequence of the crippling was it prevented the alien from reaching the metamorphosis, hence it was robbed of the very goal of its existence.

Sadly I have no clue who the author was, when it was published or what else the plot was about.

Answer 1

The Voices of Heaven, by Frederic Pohl. It's one of my favorite scifi books. The main character is named Barry Di Hoa, though the aliens, called Leps, say it as all one word. The planet's name is Pava. Barry was accidentally sent there, and is less than keen on the suicide-cult that makes up the majority of the population. The woman who the Leps think injured one of their own is named Theophan Sperlie.

Answer 2

I'm posting an answer that doesn't quite match the details in the question, and I'm going from memory because it's at least 45 years since I read it so please bear with.

I think you're looking for 'Memoirs of a Spacewoman' by Naomi Mitchison. In one of the chapters the lady protagonist is on a world full of intelligent caterpillar things, due to a bit of meddling (either by her or by her team) something spoils the metamorphosis.

However the adult butterflies are actually reclusive and immortal beings, they can live forever but they die if they lay eggs.

The pregnancy is caused by being sexually active in the caterpillar stage and the adults are thus very very rare that didn't indulge and so live forever, it's much more common for one to get it's wings and then die because the egg laying rips it apart.

Occasionally an adult will fly over groups of caterpillars having an orgy, the butterfly telepathically lashes down waves of shame and then flies back to the deep forests.

This is to try and stop sexual behaviour and so increase the chance of at least one caterpillar remaining a virgin and joining the immortals.

I think that was how the spacewoman interfered, not only did she encourage the 'free love' but she might have joined in. (IIRC she was James Kirk-ing it across the galaxy by having sex with various non humans)

Answer 3

In Larry Niven's Draco Tavern stories, there's one ("Chrysalis") about a species who resemble caterpillars and eventually metamorphose into butterfly-like creatures. They're only sapient in the caterpillar phase, so they've figured out medical ways to delay the transformation.