noun
- Steroid hormones in insects and crustaceans that regulate molting and metamorphosis by controlling the shedding of the exoskeleton.
Usage: plural of ecdysone; technical/scientific term; commonly used in entomology and developmental biology
Examples
- Ecdysones trigger the periodic shedding of the insect's outer cuticle.
- The levels of ecdysones in the hemolymph fluctuate throughout the insect's life cycle.
- Researchers study ecdysones to understand how insects grow and develop.
- Ecdysones coordinate the complex process of metamorphosis in butterflies and beetles.
- The presence of ecdysones in crustaceans controls their molting behavior.