Moulting in Insects

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the exoskeleton of an insect, moulting process, cicada skin shed
Cicada skin shed

It is not unusual to spot what look like a dried bug skins, completely resembling an insect along trails and roads in the forest. This is not a dead insect; on the contrary, it is one of the sign that an insect has finished one of its growth stages. A shed skin, such as the cicada skin shed above, is a result of what is  known as ecdysis or moulting process.

Because the exoskeleton of an insect, or simply put its skin is somewhat rigid, an insect cannot grow continuously like us. Insect growth appears in distinct stages marked by the moulting process. In this remarkable, hormone controlled process, the insect old exoskeleton usually break at it weakest point, usually on the back.

The insect with its new exoskeleton will crawl out of the crack and start a new life stage. During this period, the insect is vulnerable to various dangers like desiccation and predation since the new skin is not fully hardens to provide ample protection. As such, moulting process in insects due to their hard exoskeleton seems to bring about serious disadvantages. However, for a small creature, the exoskeleton of an insect confers several benefits like avoiding water loss, providing sites for muscle attachment as well as protection. 

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