Physiological and molecular mechanisms of insect appendage regeneration

Regeneration,as a fascinating scientific field,refers to the ability of animals replacing lost tissue or body parts.Many metazoan organisms have been reported with the regeneration phenomena,but showing evolutionarily variable abilities.As the most diverse metazoan taxon,hundreds of insects show strong appendage regeneration ability.The regeneration process and ability are dependent on many factors,including macroscopic physiological conditions and microscopic molecular mechanisms.This article reviews research progress on the physiological conditions and internal underlying mechanisms controlling appendage regeneration in insects.

Harnessing“little mighty”cockroaches:Pest management and beneficial utilization

Rationale backs up cockroaches being“little mighty”.Cockroaches belong to the insect order Blattodea and often serve as model organisms for hemimetabolous insects.They occupy a pivotal evolutionary position in studies of insect metamorphosis.The emergence of the last common ancestor of all extant cockroaches may date back to approximately 235 million years ago.Cockroaches are a highly successful group of insects:about 5,000 living species have been recorded.Since the seismic continental drift during the ancient transition from Pangaea,cockroaches have undergone substantial invasion and distribution to all continents worldwide.1 The American cockroach(Periplaneta americana)and the German cockroach(Blattella germanica)are the most common and are closely synanthropic species,referred to as“little mighty”(a household name,xiao qiang,in China)because of their extreme vitality and adaptation.The rationale behind cockroaches’being considered“little mighty”can be attributed mostly to four biological characteristics(Figure 1).