Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Glossary » E » elytron, elytra, elytral, elytrum

elytron, elytra, elytral, elytrum

Underside of elytra - Oiceoptoma inaequale

Pigweed Flea Beetle - Disonycha glabrata

red-ab, red-pronotum rove - Olisthaerus substriatus

Blood-necked Longhorn Beetle - Callimoxys sanguinicollis - female

Chrysomelid - maybe Cryptocephalus? - Cryptocephalus guttulatus

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

No Taxon (Glossary)

No Taxon (E)

No Taxon elytron, elytra, elytral, elytrum

Explanation of Names

New Latin, from Greek elytron (ελυτρον) a case, sheath; compare Greek elyo, to wrap up (1).

Identification

elytron noun, plural elytra, adjective elytral - the wing cases; especially the hardened sheath-like fore-wings of Coleoptera (Beetles). Another singular form, less frequently used, is elytrum. In groups such as true bugs, where it is incomplete, it is called a hemelytron (plural hemelytra).

Additional photos of elytra in beetles:

See Also

elytron, elytra

hemelytron, hemelytra

wing

elytral suture

Print References

The Century Dictionary--entry for elytrum (1)

Internet References

Jardine's Dictionary of Entomology

Wikipedia: Insect wing

Works Cited

1.	The Century Dictionary: an encyclopedic lexicon of the English language

Contributed by Hannah Nendick-Mason on 18 May, 2007 - 10:24am
Additional contributions by cotinis
Last updated 12 May, 2011 - 8:18am

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