Abstract
An African chironomid, Polypedilum vanderplanki is known as the only insect with a capability of an extreme desiccation tolerance, namely anhydrobiosis. In the 1950s and 1960s, Hinton strenuously studied anhydrobiosis in this insect from a physiological standpoint; however, nobody has afterward investigated the phenomenon. In 2000, research on mechanisms of the anhydrobiosis was resumed due to succeed in establishment of a rearing system of P. vanderplanki. This review is focused on the latest findings on physiological and molecular mechanisms underpinning induction of anhydrobiosis in P. vanderplanki.
