Crustacean molting

Crustacean molting is the shedding of an exoskeleton to allow growth, followed by formation and hardening of a new cuticle.

Apodeme: An inward projection of an arthropod exoskeleton that anchors muscles. These internal cuticle structures are replaced along with the external shell.
Arthropod cuticle: The nonliving external covering secreted by arthropods, made chiefly of chitin and proteins. A crustacean molt replaces this shared arthropod body covering.
Crab: A decapod crustacean with a broad carapace and a short abdomen folded beneath its body. Crabs provide a familiar example of growth constrained by a rigid shell.
Continuous growth: An increase in body size that proceeds without discrete shedding of an external skeleton. Crustaceans grow in steps because their rigid cuticle cannot expand continuously.
Ecdysone: A steroid hormone that controls molting and development in arthropods. Ecdysteroid signaling initiates preparation for shedding the old cuticle.
Chitin: A structural polysaccharide found in arthropod exoskeletons and fungal cell walls. Chitin forms a major framework of the old and newly secreted cuticle.
American lobster: A large clawed lobster native to the western North Atlantic. Its growth and vulnerability to capture vary with the molt cycle.
Insect molting: The shedding and replacement of the cuticle during insect growth and development. Insects share the basic arthropod molt process but differ in physiology and life history.
Y-organ: An endocrine gland in crustaceans that produces ecdysteroid hormones. The Y-organ supplies the hormones that coordinate the molt cycle.
Calcium carbonate: An inorganic compound used by many crustaceans to mineralize parts of their cuticle. Mineral deposition helps harden the new shell after shedding.

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