Abstract
SEVEBAL papers have recently been published describing differences inthe physiological properties of dark– and light–coloured cuticles of insects. Pryor1, Fraenkel and Rudall2, and others have shown that the darkening and hardening of the cuticle are one and the same process—a dehydration resulting from the formation of coloured compounds of protein and polyphenols. The darker the cuticle, the harder and drier it will be.
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References
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KALMUS, H. PHYSIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY OF CUTICLE COLOUR IN INSECTS. Nature 148, 428–431 (1941). https://doi.org/10.1038/148428a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/148428a0
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