gene is a critical regulator of developmental timing events of the larval-to-adult transition. Here, was identified by a stem-loop RT-PCR. The precursor of was cloned and was proven to be highly conserved among different species. Quantitative analysis revealed that the expression levels of were generally variably enhanced during the first five metamorphic stages and peaked during the late metamorphic stages (36 dph). At To study the effects of ^{) were used to treat , indicating that -UTRs) of 29 mRNAs were possible target sites matche. These mRNA targets played key roles in diverse biological processes: development, cell proliferation, signal transduction, virus immune response, and signaling pathways. These re sults suggested that played an essential role in regulating the developmental timing of metamorphosis.}