Insect cuticle

The external covering of an insect, made chiefly of chitin and proteins. It forms a flexible or rigid exoskeleton that protects the body and provides attachment sites for muscles.

Chitin: A structural polysaccharide found in arthropod exoskeletons and fungal cell walls. Chitin forms the cuticle’s main fibrous scaffold.
Ecdysis: The shedding of an arthropod’s old cuticle during a molt. An insect must shed its restrictive covering to grow.
Insecticide resistance: The inherited ability of insect populations to survive exposure to insecticides that once controlled them. Changes in cuticle thickness or permeability can slow insecticide entry.
Vertebrate skin: The multilayered external tissue covering vertebrate bodies. Unlike insect cuticle, vertebrate skin is living tissue rather than a secreted exoskeleton.
Arthropod cuticle: The extracellular covering of arthropods, composed largely of chitin and proteins. Insect cuticle is one specialized form of this broader arthropod structure.
Apodeme: An inward projection of an insect’s cuticle that provides an attachment point for muscles. These internal ridges transmit muscle force through the exoskeleton.
Waterproofing: The prevention or reduction of water passage through a material or surface. The cuticle’s surface lipids help insects avoid desiccation.
Plant cuticle: A wax-containing protective layer on the outer surface of many plant organs. It shares a barrier function with insect cuticle but has different chemistry and origin.
Sclerotization: Chemical cross-linking that hardens insect cuticle after it is secreted. It turns newly formed cuticle into a tough, rigid material.
Molting hormone: A steroid hormone, chiefly ecdysone, that coordinates insect molting and developmental transitions. It initiates the developmental program that replaces the cuticle.

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