Abstract
GROWTH in insects proceeds through a number of moults, when the old cuticle is shed and a new one synthesised. Within few hours of ecdysis, the cuticle hardens and develops the characteristic colour pattern. When we treated German cockroach Blattella germanica (L.) nymphs with insect juvenile hormone (JH) 12 h before ecdysis, the resulting nymphs or adults developed excessive black coloration all over their bodies, obliterating the normal colour patterns1. The nature of this visible change was unknown2,3. Here we show for the first time that the excessive coloration, following JH treatment, is caused by melanin, and that dopamine or catechol seems to be involved in the hormone-influenced pathway.
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DAS, Y., GUPTA, A. Nature and precursors of juvenile hormone-induced excessive cuticular melanisation in German cockroach. Nature 268, 139–140 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1038/268139a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/268139a0
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