Cast skins or exuvia

Insects go through a series of moults as they grow and the cast skins or exuvia are frequently encountered. They come in all shapes and sizes. For instance, the cast skin of caterpillars is often shrivelled and the only clear evidence of its presence is the toughened (chitinised) head capsule. On the other hand, the pupal cases of many insects retain their original shape for a time after adult emergence. Cast skins which have kept their shape may be confused with dead insects, but cast skins are more fragile and lack solid contents. The bugKEY does not attempt to show the many different cast skins of insects found in orchards, although some are included in the bugKEY images. One example is given here, of cicada cast skins, to illustrate their appearance.

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