Glossary of arthropod cuticle

This is a glossary of terms used in the description of arthropod cuticle, including that of insects such as ants. These animals can have surface textures spanning and combining cracks, excavations, imbrications, mealiness, punctures, reticulations, roughness, scratches, spots, wrinkles, and more. As such, hundred of technical terms have been adapted for use in description of individual specimens from which taxa are defined.

A
a-:wanting or without

ab-:off; away from

aciculate:appearing as if irregularly scratched with a needle

acinose:continuously set with granulations like those on a blackberry

adsperse:marked with closely crowded, small spots

alutaceous:rather pale leather-brown; covered with minute cracks like human skin and leathery in texture

alveolate:honeycombed; with regular, deep, angular cavities (alveoli) separated by thin partitions; furnished with cells or alveoli

areate:furnished with open areas or with areas defined on the surface

areolate:divided into a number of small, irregular, impressed spaces

asperous:rough and uneven

atomarius:with minute dots or points

C
caelate:with superficial plane elevations of varying form

canaliculate:channelled or furrowed; longitudinally grooved (sensu lato); in general body form, long and concave so as to resemble a gutter or channel (sensu stricto)

cancellate:a latticework or grid; a series of enclosed cells or chambers

carinate:keeled; having keels or carinae; with one, or several, but usually few longitudinal narrow raised ribs or ridges

carinulate:with several small, elevated longitudinal ridges or carinae; less prominent than carinate

cariose:corroded; appearing worm-eaten; with cavities or ulcerations

cataphracted:clad in closely set scales

catenate:with longitudinal, connected elevations like links in a chain

catenate:chain-like, with smaller links than catenate

channelled:having deep grooves or channels

cicatrose:a surface having scars with elevated margins like those of small pox

clathrate:latticed; elevated ridges decussing at right angles

colliculate:continuously covered with low, rounded elevations, not as pronounced as acinose

conflected:crowded; thickly clustered

confused:markings with indefinite outlines or run together as lines or spots without definite pattern

connected:scattered; spread irregularly and some distance apart; thin; eg., pile or hairs

consute:with very minute elevations in series, some distance apart, and of a different color from the general surface, which resemble stitching somewhat

coriaceous:leather-like in texture, with minute cracks like human skin

coriarious:leather-like in sculpture; with minute cracks like human skin

corrugated:wrinkled into furrows; with alternate ridges and channels

corticinus:bark-like sculpturing or texture

costate:furnished with longitudinal raised ribs or ridges (costae), much coarser than carinate

costulate:with longitudinal, coarse raised ribs or ridges; much coarser and more extensive than carinulate; less prominent ribs or ridges than costate

crenate:having the margin evenly notched with rounded teeth

crenulate:having the margin finely notched with small, rounded teeth

cristate:with a prominent carina or crest on the upper surface; crested

cristulate:with several, small, crescent-like ridges or crests

D
denudate:without hairs or scales (sensu stricto); without vestiture of any kind (sensu lato)

destitute:lacking or devoid of something specified; being entirely without (used to contrast)

dispersed:with scattered markings or small sculptures

E
e-:without

ecarinate:without or deprived of a keel or a carina (used to contrast carinate)

echinate:thickly set or armed with short, stout spines or prickles; spiny like a hedgehog

echinulate:with very small prickles; minutely echinate

elute:with scarcely distinct markings

embossed:ornamented with raised sculpturing

ex-:out of; proceeding from

exarate:ploughed; sculpted; furrowed; sulcated; an excavated surface in general

excavated:with a scooped out depression; superficially, with a hollowed out area

explicate:unfolded or open; also, without folds or plicae

exsculptate:with irregular, more or less longitudinal depressions, as if carved or scooped out

F
farinaceous:mealy or powdery looking; applied to surfaces or wings

farinose:dotted with many single flour-like spots; mealy

fatiscent:with superficial cracks, crevices, or similar openings

fenestrate:with transparent areas or window-like openings (fenestrae) as in the wings of some Lepidoptera

fissate:with fissures or cracks (sensu lato); divided or cleft (sensu stricto)

fluted:having parallel grooves or flutes; channelled

fossulate:with oblong depressions (fossulae); more elongate or furrow-like than scrobiculate

foveate:pitted; with numerous, regular, depressions or pits (foveae)

foveolate:with small deep pits; finely pitted

G
glabrate:almost glabrous

glabrous:smooth, devoid of pubescence (sensu stricto); devoid of any sculpturing (sensu lato)

goffered:with regular impressions, closely set, and separated by narrow ridges; waffling or honeycombs

granulate:covered with or made up of very small grains or granules; minutely and densely verrucose or minutely farinose

H
hatched:closely marked with numerous short, transverse lines

I
imbricate:partly overlapping and appearing like shingles on a roof or scales on a fish

immaculate:destitute of spots, marks, or sculpturing (sensu lato); destitute of spots or marks (sensu stricto)

impressed:having shallow, depressed areas or markings

impunctate:not punctate or marked with punctures (used to contrast punctate)

inermis:unarmed; without striae, spines, or any other sharp processes

innotate:without markings

institia:striae or furrows of equal width throughout

interstice:a space between two lines, whether striate or punctate

interval:a space between two structures or sculptures

intricate:confused; markings, whether elevated or depressed, so run into each other as to be difficult to see

investitus:unclothed; without scales or hair

irrorate:freckled or speckled; covered with minute spots or granules

L
lacunose:full of hollows or cavities; with scattered and irregular broad, shallow cavities

levigate:a smooth surface, sometimes somewhat shiny or polished; without elevations or depressions

lineate:longitudinally marked with raised or depressed parallel lines; with linear marks

lineolate:finely lineate, longitudinally marked with very fine raised or depressed lines

M
maculate:spotted; with many superficial marks or spots

maculation:the pattern of marks or spots on a surface

micans:shining or twinkling, in part or altogether

munite:a surface armed with spines or other excrescences

murriculate:with a covering of fine, short, sharp, thick excrescences; irregularly scabriculous

mutic:unarmed; lacking processes where such usually occur

N
nitid:shiny or glossy; reflecting light

nodulate:a surface sculpturing of small knots or swellings

notate:marked by spots (sensu stricto); with a series of depressed marks as a sculpture (sensu lato)

nude:naked; devoid of hair, scales or other surface vestiture

O
obscure:dark; not readily seen; not well defined

ordinate:spots or sculpturing arranged in rows or regularly arranged

P
papillate:covered with small, nipple-like surface elevations, often porous at the tip

papillulate:beset with depressions or elevations with a small elevation in the center (a papillule)

perlate:spots or sculpturing arranged in rows or regularly arranged; beaded (sensu lato); bearing relieved, rounded points in series (sensu stricto)

plica:fold

plicate:folded or closed; with folds or plicae; impressed with striae to produce the appearance of having been folded or pleated

politus:polished; smooth, shiny

pollinose:covered with a loose, mealy, often yellow dust like the pollen of flowers; fine meal

porcate:with several parallel, longitudinal ridges with deep, broad sulcations

porose:having pores

prominent:raised or produced above the surface or beyond the margin; standing out in relief; conspicuous by position

protuberance:any excrescence above the surface; a prominence

pruinose:appearing covered with a fine dust or coarse powder, but which cannot be rubbed off; the brightness of the surface somewhat obscured by the appearance of a bloom like that of a plum

pulverulent:powdery or dusty. Also, covered with very minute, powder-like scales

punctate:set with fine, impressed points or punctures appearing as pin-pricks

puncticulate:sparsely punctate with very fine, widely spaced punctures

punctulate:finely punctate; with numerous minute and close set punctures

pustulate:covered with small, blister-like swellings larger than papillae and never with a terminal pore

R
rastrate:covered as if with longitudinal scratches

reticulate:superficially net-like or made up of a network of lines; meshed; netted

rimose:with minute, narrow and nearly parallel excavations (rimae) running into each other; chinky; resembling the cracked bark of a tree

rimulose:minutely rimose; with minute cracks or fissure-like openings with sharp edges

rivose:marked with sinuate furrows, like rivulets, not running in a parallel direction

rivulose:minutely rivose; with very small or fine sinuate furrows, like rivulets, which are not parallel

rorulent:covered with a bloom of fine dust that can be rubbed off

rugose:wrinkled

rugulose:minutely rugose; minutely wrinkled

S
salebrose:rough, rugged, or uneven

scabriculous:finely scabrous; with fine and regular short, sharp, wrinkles and/or projections

scabrid:sparsely scabrous

scabrous:rough; irregularly and roughly rugose; possessing short, sharp projections or wrinkles

scarified:sparsely appearing clawed or scratched; furnished with fine, irregular grooves, coarser than aciculate

scrobiculate:uniformly covered with short, oblong or trench-like hollows

sculpture:the markings or pattern of impressions or elevations on a surface

sculptured:ornamented with raised sculpturing; superficially marked with elevations or depressions or both, arranged in some definable manner

scutate:covered with large, flat, scales; having a scutum; shield-shaped; scutiform

scutellate:divided into surfaces like small plates, minutely scutate

serrations:lines arranged in parallel series, either in sculpture or in color, as in the Corixidae of the Heteroptera

shagreened:covered with a closely set roughness, like the rough-surfaced horse leather termed shagreen; like shark leather

sparse:scattered; spread irregularly and some distance apart; thin; eg., pile or hairs

spherulate:provided with one or more rows of minute tubercles

spinose:armed with thorny spines, more elongated than echinate

spinulate:set with numerous small, thorny spines; minutely spinose

squamate:scaly; covered with scales

squarrose:rough with elevations; scurfy; rough with loose scales differing in direction or not parallel in direction

striate:marked with parallel, fine, longitudinal impressed lines or furrows

strigate:having narrow, transverse lines or streaks, either raised or impressed; composed of fine, short lines

strigulate:finely or minutely strigate; with numerous short and fine transverse lines, either raised or impressed

striolate:minutely or finely striate; with numerous parallel and very fine longitudinal impressed lines or furrows

sub-:under, slightly less than, or not quite so

sulcate:deeply furrowed or grooved

T
taeniate:with broad, longitudinal bands or ribbon-like markings (sensu lato); shaped like a tapeworm (sensu stricto)

tessellate:made up of squares like a chess board, either in sculpturing or in color

torose:superficially swelling in knots, knobs, or protuberances; knobby (sensu lato); in general form, swollen or with a knobby or knotted shape (sensu stricto)

torulose:minutely torose; with numerous small knobs or knots (sensu lato)

tuberculate:covered or furnished with rounded, projecting lobes; more projecting than granulate, papillate, or pustulate

U
undose:with undulating, broad, nearly parallel depressions running more or less into each other; wavy, resembling ripple-marks on a sandy beach

V
variolate:pitted as if by smallpox; full of irregular indentations (varioles)

venose:furnished with veins or vein-like marking; of or pertaining to veins

vermicular:worm-shaped or worm-like in general body form

vermiculate:with superficial, tortuous markings resembling the tracks of a worm

verrucose:covered with irregularly shaped lobes or wart-like protuberances

vittate:striped; longitudinally striped or plaited