Beetle Glossary | Tarsiandtegulae

Beetle Jargon

Don't Know your elytra from your epipleuron? That's cool here's a list of the most commonly encountered beetle Jargon.

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The Anatomy page may also be of use

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Adeagus: The hardened part of the male genitailia

Antennomere: A segment of the antennae, these are counted from the base of the head to the tip.

Bilobed: Divided into two distinct lobes

Bothrium: A long hair usually set in a depression or puncture

Clypeus: Plate covering the Jaws (think of it as the area between your nose and upper lip)

Clavate: Clubbed

Cordate: Heart shaped

Coxa: The first part of the leg closest to the abdomen, these may look like flattened plates in some species

Declivity: A sudden downward slope or inward depression

Decumbent: lying down parallel to the body (hairs and pubescence)

Deflexed: Bent or curving backwards or downwards

Disc: the centre of any flat surface (usually refers to pronotum or elytra)

Elytra: The hardened wing cases of a beetle covering the second pair of wings and abdomen

Elytron: A single part of the Elytra

Emarginate: indentation cutting in or scoops along an edge

Epipleuron: A narrow, usually deflexed lip of an elytron edge

Exoskeleton: The external shell of an insect

Femur: The Third leg segment usually the thickest

Ferruginous: Reddish brown the colour of rust

Filiform: uniformly cylindrical pieces making a thread (refers to antennal shape)

Flabellate: Feather like

Flagellum: third section of antennae

Fossorial: Adapted for digging

Frons: Forehead (between the eyes0

Fuliginous: Dark, almost black

Funiculus: Small antennal segments between a weevils scape and club

Fuscous: Dull brown

Geniculate: elbowed antennae

Glabrous: hairless, smooth

Humerus: the shoulder of the elytra

Interstices: the gaps between elytral striae

Labium: lower lip of mouthparts

Labrum: upper lip of mothparts

Lamellate: layered plates (think lamination)

Larviform: looks like a larvae

Mandibles: Jaws

Maxilla: movable mothpart under the mandibles for manipulation of food

Meso: middle

Meta: Hind

Microsculpture: minute surface texture cracks or engravings

Moniliform: like a thread of beads

Ocellus: simple eyes on the top of the head

Ovipositor: egg laying tube or apparatus

Palp: Short segmented organ for manipulating and sensing food and stimuli

Pectinate: having narrow projections or divisions set closely in a row

Pedicel: second segment of antennae

Peduncle: Narrow waist between pronotum and elytra

Piceus: Reddish black

Pilose: covered in hairs

Plumose: Feathery

Pro: front or fore

Pronotum: upper shield plate covering most of the thorax

Pubescent: covered in fine hairs

Punctation: Pits, pinholes and indentations. may be referred to as punctures

Pygidium: last upper abdominal section, sometime visible protruding from the rear of the elytra

Reticulation: A pattern or arrangement of interlacing lines often resembling a net

Rostrum: Nose or snout

Rufus: Pale red

Saproxylic: Living on dead and or rotten wood

Scape: First often longer, section of the antennae

Sclerotised: hardened

Scrobe: Groove running along the side of the head to house antennal parts

Scutellum: Small often triangular plate under the pronotum at the base of elytra

Serrate: Saw like edge

Setae: Distinct, often erect hairs

Sinuate: Having a waved margin, almost 'S' shaped

Spermatheca: Hardened sperm storage organ of the female reproductive tract

Spiracle: Breathing hole

Sternite: lower plates of the abdomen

Stria: long, often parallel groves along the elytra

Suture: A line where two plates meet (may be used to describe the join he the two elytral pieces meet)

Tarsomere: one segment of the Tarsus ( think toes)

Tarsus: last segment of the leg, made of several smaller units (tarsomeres)

Tergite: upper abdominal plate

Testaceous: a lighter Reddish, orange brown

Tibia: Fourth leg segment often long and thin

Trochanter: Small second leg segment

Truncate: Cut off or shortened, sometimes meaning wider than long