Malpighian tubules

plural noun

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

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.

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

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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.

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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.

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

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