Malpighian tubules

British  

plural noun

1. organs of excretion in insects and many other arthropods: narrow tubules opening into the anterior part of the hindgut

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Example Sentences

When the larvae grew up, the team spotted glowing beads inside their Malpighian tubules—structures equivalent to kidneys—confirming that microplastics can linger in an insect’s body even as it shifts from its larval to adult life stage.

From Science Magazine

A: It’s a single-celled fungus that lives within the Malpighian tubules, which are equivalent to kidneys, of a tropical cockroach.

From Science Magazine

The Nobelists had focused on fruit fly brains but circadian mechanisms turned up in the kidneylike Malpighian tubules of fruit flies as well as in the wings, legs, oral regions and antennae of the insects.

From Scientific American

A chemical reaction in their Malpighian tubules—structures analogous to kidneys—makes their posteriors glow, much to the delight of more than 200,000 tourists who visit them every year.

From Science Magazine

Most insects have excretory organs called Malpighian tubules that help regulate water retention, nitrogen excretion, detoxification, and immunity—except for aphids.

From National Geographic