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Information about Procuticle

The procuticle is the major portion of the exoskeleton of an insect (and various other arthropods); its exact composition and structure may differ somewhat among different taxa, but certain aspects can be generalized:
  • When first secreted by the epidermis, it is soft, pliable, and pale, as much of the chemical composition is chitin.
  • The chitin molecules are intertwined to form microfibrils, and the microfibrils are often laid down in parallel to form layers ("lamina").
  • The microfibrils are embedded in a protein matrix, and it is the chemical process of cross-linking between these protein chains (called sclerotization) that causes hardening and darkening of the outer portion of the procuticle; this sclerotized layer is called the exocuticle to differentiate it from the unsclerotized portion below it, or endocuticle.
  • When sclerotization is complete, the regions of exocuticle form rigid sclerites, and are separated by membranous areas of endocuticle which retain their flexibility.
  • The exocuticle cannot be digested during the molting cycle (see ecdysis), but the endocuticle can be resorbed, so only the exocuticle and epicuticle are shed.
An exoskeleton is an external anatomical feature that supports and protects an animal's body, in contrast to the internal endoskeleton of, for example, a human. Whilst many many other invertebrate animals (such as shelled mollusks) have exoskeletons in the sense of external hard
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Insecta
Linnaeus, 1758

Orders
Subclass Apterygota
* Archaeognatha (bristletails)
* Thysanura (silverfish)
Subclass Pterygota
* Infraclass Paleoptera (Probably paraphyletic)

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Arthropoda
Latreille, 1829

Subphyla and Classes
  • Subphylum Trilobitomorpha
  • Trilobita - trilobites (extinct)
  • Subphylum Chelicerata

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For the journal, see .
A taxon (plural taxa), or taxonomic unit, is a name designating an organism or group of organisms. A taxon is assigned a rank and can be placed at a particular level in a systematic hierarchy reflecting evolutionary
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Epidermis may refer to:
  • Epidermis (botany), in plants, the outermost layer of cells covering the leaves and young parts of a plant
  • Epidermis (skin), in vertebrates, the outermost layer of the skin

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Chitin (C8H13O5N)n (IPA: [ˈkaɪtn̩]) is a long-chain polymer of beta-glucose that forms a hard, semitransparent material found throughout the natural world.
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Proteins are large organic compounds made of amino acids arranged in a linear chain and joined together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of adjacent amino acid residues.
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A sclerite (Greek skleros meaning "hard") is a hardened body part. The term is used in various branches of biology for various structures including hardened portions of sponges, but it is most commonly used for the hardened portions of arthropod exoskeletons.
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A sclerite (Greek skleros meaning "hard") is a hardened body part. The term is used in various branches of biology for various structures including hardened portions of sponges, but it is most commonly used for the hardened portions of arthropod exoskeletons.
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Ecdysis is the moulting of the cuticula in arthropods and related groups (Ecdysozoa). Since the cuticula of these animals is also the skeletal support of the body and is inelastic, it is shed during growth and a new, larger covering is formed. The old skin is called an exuvia.
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The epicuticle is the outermost portion of the exoskeleton of an insect (and various other arthropods); its exact composition and structure may differ somewhat among different taxa, but certain aspects can be generalized:

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