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Journal of Experimental Biology, Vol 151, Issue 1 341-347, Copyright © 1990 by Company of Biologists

JOURNAL ARTICLES

The effect of appendage and scale loss on instar duration in adult firebrats, Thermobia domestica (Thysanura)

C Buck and JS Edwards
Department of Zoology, University of Washington, Seattle 98195.

The loss of appendages immediately following a moult shortens the subsequent intermoult interval in adult Thermobia domestica. The loss of increasing numbers of appendages accelerates the ensuing moult incrementally. Leg amputation at sites distal to the trochanter-femoral autotomy plane has comparable effects in accelerating the moult. Functional legs regenerated at the first moult following amputation are at least 80% of normal length, while abdominal cerci are regenerated at a slower pace, attaining about 20% of normal length at the first post-operative moult. Scale loss also causes an acceleration of the following moult. It is proposed that changes in diffuse sensory input, rather than specific proprioceptive feedback, mediate the acceleration of the moult cycle.




© The Company of Biologists Ltd 1990