Abstract
DURING the growth and development of insects there are rapid changes in the concentrations of the moulting hormones (ecdysteroids). In the locust Locusta migratoria the rate of excretion of the moulting hormones is one factor which regulates the ecdysteroid titre1,2 . The experiments reported here show that the presence of ecdysteroids causes an increase in the rate of urine production by the Malpighian tubules of the tsetse fly Glossina morsitans, Previously there has been no evidence to suggest that steroid hormones are involved in the control of excretion in insects3. These results may therefore indicate both a new function for steroids in insects and a new control system for insect excretory systems.
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GEE, J., WHITEHEAD, D. & KOOLMAN, J. Steroids stimulate secretion by insect Malpighian tubules. Nature 269, 238–239 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1038/269238a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/269238a0
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