Hello André,
Yes, this hilt type clearly represents the pupa of longhorn beetles. That is the reason why the third pair of legs is partially covered by the (future) wing, at least if carved by someone who knows what he's doing. (BTW, are there any female carvers nowadays or is it still considered a pure male profession/past time?)
Beetles are holometabolic insects which pass through a distinct pupa stage (as butterflies, etc.) even if the metamorphosis is a bit less striking since beetle pupae already exhibit body and appendages similar to adults (cp. the Nieuwenkamp drawing: both hilts resemble the pupa while the adult beetle on the left is different; one has to concede that the carvers exhibit varying talent/knowledge though, especially nowadays we see all sorts of monster versions).
This life stage concept was already alluded to in this discussion and (aside from the Hindu creation narrative) is a really interesting aspect of this hilt type's symbolism, I believe.
Regards,
Kai
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