This paper was the first to provide strong evidence for the role of eclosion hormone (EH) in triggering pre-eclosion and eclosion behaviors in pharate animals. In the cecropia silkmoth, isolated CNS preparations produced motor activity patterns in response to EH which were consistent with insect molting. Although this paper was cited only three times in the year after publication, 54 citations were garnered from 1980 - 1986. The majority of this work has focused not on cecropia silkmoths, but on the tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta). Specifically, EH has been examined with respect to the regulation and timing of its release, release sites, coordinating pre-ecdysis and ecdysis behaviors, as well as phosphoprotein regulation of EH. Additionally, it appears that this work has also impacted a broader audience. This is evidenced by a few citations from work done in photoreception of butterflies, neurohemal systems in cockroaches, and circadian clock gating in swallow tails. However, the significance of this classic paper lies in another lineage. Specifically, work on EH in Manduca sexta is viewed as a model for the hormonal release of behavior in animals.