The process whose specific outcome is the progression of the Malpighian tubule over time, from its formation to the mature structure. A Malpighian tubule is a fine, thin-walled excretory tubule in insects which leads into the posterior part of the gut. [ GOC:mtg_kidney_jan10 http://flybase.org/cgi-bin/fbcvq.html?query=FBbt:00005786 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19783135 ]