Molting

• Process of shedding of or casting of old cuticle or exoskeleton known as molting.

a) Apolysis: separation of epidermis from cuticle known as apolysis.

b) Ecdysis: shedding of the old cuticle.

c) Sclerotization: The process of hardening involves the development of cross links between protein chains which is also known as sclerotization.

Insect Head

• It is the foremost part in insect body consisting of 6 segments that are fused to form a head capsule.
• The head is connected to the thorax by a flexible neck or cervis strengthened by small cervical sclerites.
• The head segments can be divided in to two regions i.e. procephalon and gnathocephalon (mouth).