Ecdysis

Ecdysis is the shedding of an external cuticle or other outer covering, allowing an animal to grow or replace damaged covering.

Apodysis: The separation of an old cuticle from the underlying epidermis before shedding. This preparatory step loosens the cuticle that ecdysis will remove.
Cuticle: A nonliving external layer secreted by an animal's epidermis, especially in arthropods. The cuticle is the principal structure removed during arthropod ecdysis.
Insect growth regulators: Compounds that disrupt insect development by altering growth-regulating hormones or processes. Some control strategies prevent successful molting by disrupting its hormonal regulation.
Apoptosis: A regulated form of cell death that removes cells without causing whole-organism death. Unlike ecdysis, apoptosis removes individual cells rather than an external covering.
Ecdysone: A steroid hormone that regulates molting and development in arthropods. Ecdysone signaling initiates the physiological sequence leading to the shed.
Exoskeleton: A rigid external support structure found in many animals, including arthropods. In arthropods, ecdysis permits growth beyond the limits of this external skeleton.
Chitin synthesis inhibitors: Compounds that interfere with production of chitin, a structural component of arthropod cuticle. A defective replacement cuticle can make ecdysis unsuccessful or lethal.
Exfoliation: The shedding of dead surface cells, especially from skin. Exfoliation removes superficial cells continuously, not a whole growth-limiting cuticle.
Eclosion hormone: A peptide hormone that helps coordinate ecdysis behavior in insects. It contributes to the timed motor program that expels the old cuticle.
Epidermis: The outer cellular tissue that produces the cuticle in arthropods. The epidermis separates from and replaces the cuticle during a molt.

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