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 (generically, 'sculpturing' or 'microsculpture'). As such, hundreds of technical terms have been adapted for use in description of individual specimens from which taxa are defined.
Contents
A
- a-
- wanting or without
- ab-
- off; away from
- aciculate
- appearing as if irregularly scratched with a needle
- acinose
see also colliculate, granulate, papillate
continuously set with granulations like those on a blackberry- adsperse
- marked with closely crowded, small spots
- alutaceous
rare; see also coriaceous, coriarious
rather pale leather-brown; covered with minute cracks like human skin and leathery in texture- alveolate
see also areolate, goffered, reticulate
honeycombed; with regular, deep, angular cavities (alveoli) separated by thin partitions; furnished with cells or alveoli- areate
see also areolate
furnished with open areas or with areas defined on the surface- areolate
see also alveolate, areate, goffered, reticulate
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
rare; see also porcate, sulcate
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
rare; see also clathrate, reticulate
a latticework or grid; a series of enclosed cells or chambers- carinate
antonym: ecarinate; diminutive: carinulate; see also costate, cristate, porcate
keeled; having keels or carinae; with one, or several, but usually few longitudinal narrow raised ribs or ridges- carinulate
see also costulate, cristulate
with several small, elevated longitudinal ridges or carinae; less prominent than carinate- cariose
see also vermicular, vermiculate
corroded; appearing worm-eaten; with cavities or ulcerations- cataphracted
- clad in closely set scales
- catenate
diminutive: catenulate; see also consute
with longitudinal, connected elevations like links in a chain- catenate
- chain-like, with smaller links than catenate
- channelled
rare; see also canaliculate, fluted, striate, strigate
having deep grooves or channels- cicatrose
- a surface having scars with elevated margins like those of small pox
- clathrate
see also cancellate, reticulate
latticed; elevated ridges decussing at right angles- colliculate
see also acinose, granulate, papillate
continuously covered with low, rounded elevations, not as pronounced as acinose- conflected
antonym: sparse
crowded; thickly clustered- confused
- markings with indefinite outlines or run together as lines or spots without definite pattern
- connected
antonyms: dispersed, sparse; see also conflected
scattered; spread irregularly and some distance apart; thin; eg., pile or hairs- consute
see also catenate
with very minute elevations in series, some distance apart, and of a different color from the general surface, which resemble stitching somewhat- coriaceous
rare; see also alutaceous, coriarious
leather-like in texture, with minute cracks like human skin- coriarious
rare; see also alutaceous, coriaceous
leather-like in sculpture; with minute cracks like human skin- corrugated
rare
wrinkled into furrows; with alternate ridges and channels- corticinus
- bark-like sculpturing or texture
- costate
diminutive: costulate; see also carinate, cristate, porcate
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
diminutive: crenulate
having the margin evenly notched with rounded teeth- crenulate
- having the margin finely notched with small, rounded teeth
- cristate
diminutive: cristulate; see also carinate, costate, porcate
with a prominent carina or crest on the upper surface; crested- cristulate
see also carinulate
with several, small, crescent-like ridges or crests
D
- denudate
rare; see also glabrous, immaculate, investitus, nude
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
see also sparse
with scattered markings or small sculptures
E
- e-
- without
- ecarinate
antonym: carinate
without or deprived of a keel or a carina (used to contrast carinate)- echinate
diminutive: echinulate
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
see also sculptured
ornamented with raised sculpturing- ex-
- out of; proceeding from
- exarate
rare; see also impressed
ploughed; sculpted; furrowed; sulcated; an excavated surface in general- excavated
rare; see also lacunose
with a scooped out depression; superficially, with a hollowed out area- explicate
antonym: plicate
unfolded or open; also, without folds or plicae- exsculptate
rare; see also fossulate, scrobiculate
with irregular, more or less longitudinal depressions, as if carved or scooped out
F
- farinaceous
see also farinose, pollinose, pruinose, pulverulent, rorulent
mealy or powdery looking; applied to surfaces or wings- farinose
see also farinaceous, pollinose, pruinose, pulverulent, rorulent
dotted with many single flour-like spots; mealy- fatiscent
see also corticinus, fissate, rimose
with superficial cracks, crevices, or similar openings- fenestrate
rare
with transparent areas or window-like openings (fenestrae) as in the wings of some Lepidoptera- fissate
see also corticinus, fatiscent, rimose
with fissures or cracks (sensu lato); divided or cleft (sensu stricto)- fluted
rare; see also canaliculate, channelled
having parallel grooves or flutes; channelled- fossulate
see also exsculptate, lacunose, scrobiculate
with oblong depressions (fossulae); more elongate or furrow-like than scrobiculate- foveate
diminutive: foveolate; see also lacunose, punctate
pitted; with numerous, regular, depressions or pits (foveae)- foveolate
- with small deep pits; finely pitted
G
- glabrate
- almost glabrous
- glabrous
see also denudate, immaculate, investitus, nude
smooth, devoid of pubescence (sensu stricto); devoid of any sculpturing (sensu lato)- goffered
rare; see also alveolate, areolate, cancellate, clathrate, reticulate
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
I
- imbricate
see also cataphracted, scutate, squamate
partly overlapping and appearing like shingles on a roof or scales on a fish- immaculate
antonym: maculate; see also denudate, glabrous, investitus, nude
destitute of spots, marks, or sculpturing (sensu lato); destitute of spots or marks (sensu stricto)- impressed
- having shallow, depressed areas or markings
- impunctate
antonym: punctate
not punctate or marked with punctures (used to contrast punctate)- inermis
- unarmed; without striae, spines, or any other sharp processes
- innotate
rare; antonym: notate
without markings- institia
- striae or furrows of equal width throughout
- interstice
see also interval
a space between two lines, whether striate or punctate- interval
see also interstice
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
see also denudate, glabrous, immaculate, nude
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
diminutive: lineolate
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
rare; antonym: immaculate; see also adsperse, atomarius, irrorate
spotted; with many superficial marks or spots- maculation
see also sculpture
the pattern of marks or spots on a surface- micans
- shining or twinkling, in part or altogether
- munite
antonym: inermis
a surface armed with spines or other excrescences- murriculate
- with a covering of fine, short, sharp, thick excrescences; irregularly scabriculous
- mutic
see also inermis
unarmed; lacking processes where such usually occur
N
- nitid
- shiny or glossy; reflecting light
- nodulate
see also acinose, colliculate, torulose, tuberculate, verrucose
a surface sculpturing of small knots or swellings- notate
rare; antonym: innotate; see also impressed, maculate, ordinate
marked by spots (sensu stricto); with a series of depressed marks as a sculpture (sensu lato)- nude
see also denudate, glabrous, immaculate, investitus
naked; devoid of hair, scales or other surface vestiture
O
- obscure
- dark; not readily seen; not well defined
- ordinate
see also perlate
spots or sculpturing arranged in rows or regularly arranged
P
- papillate
see also acinose, colliculate, papillulate, pustulate
covered with small, nipple-like surface elevations, often porous at the tip- papillulate
see also papillate
beset with depressions or elevations with a small elevation in the center (a papillule)- perlate
see also ordinate
spots or sculpturing arranged in rows or regularly arranged; beaded (sensu lato); bearing relieved, rounded points in series (sensu stricto)- plica
see also plicate
fold- plicate
antonym: explicate; see also plica, striate
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
rare; see also farinaceous, farinose, pruinose, pulverulent, rorulent
covered with a loose, mealy, often yellow dust like the pollen of flowers; fine meal- porcate
see also canaliculate, carinate, costate, cristate, striate, sulcate
with several parallel, longitudinal ridges with deep, broad sulcations- porose
- having pores
- prominent
see also protuberance
raised or produced above the surface or beyond the margin; standing out in relief; conspicuous by position- protuberance
see also prominent
any excrescence above the surface; a prominence- pruinose
see also farinaceous, farinose, pollinose, pulverulent, rorulent
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
see also farinaceous, farinose, pollinose, pruinose, rorulent, squarrose
powdery or dusty. Also, covered with very minute, powder-like scales- punctate
antonym: impunctate; diminutive: puncticulate, punctulate; see also foveate, foveolate
set with fine, impressed points or punctures appearing as pin-pricks- puncticulate
see also punctulate
sparsely punctate with very fine, widely spaced punctures- punctulate
see also puncticulate
finely punctate; with numerous minute and close set punctures- pustulate
see also acinose, colliculate, papillate
covered with small, blister-like swellings larger than papillae and never with a terminal pore
R
- rastrate
- covered as if with longitudinal scratches
- reticulate
see also alveolate, areolate, cancellate, clathrate, goffered
superficially net-like or made up of a network of lines; meshed; netted- rimose
diminutive: rimulose; see also corticinus, fatiscent, fissate, rivose, undose
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
see also farinaceous, farinose, pollinose, pruinose, pulverulent, squarrose
covered with a bloom of fine dust that can be rubbed off- rugose
- wrinkled
- rugulose
see also scabriculous
minutely rugose; minutely wrinkled
S
- salebrose
- rough, rugged, or uneven
- scabriculous
see also murriculate, shagreened
finely scabrous; with fine and regular short, sharp, wrinkles and/or projections- scabrid
- sparsely scabrous
- scabrous
diminutive: scabriculous; see also rugose, salebrose, squarrose
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
see also exsculptate, fossulate
uniformly covered with short, oblong or trench-like hollows- sculpture
see also maculation
the markings or pattern of impressions or elevations on a surface- sculptured
see also embossed
ornamented with raised sculpturing; superficially marked with elevations or depressions or both, arranged in some definable manner- scutate
diminutive: scutellate; see also cataphracted, imbricate, squamate
covered with large, flat, scales; having a scutum; shield-shaped; scutiform- scutellate
rare; see also cataphracted, imbricate, squamate
divided into surfaces like small plates, minutely scutate- serrations
rare
lines arranged in parallel series, either in sculpture or in color, as in the Corixidae of the Heteroptera- shagreened
rare; see also scabriculous
covered with a closely set roughness, like the rough-surfaced horse leather termed shagreen; like shark leather- sparse
antonyms: conflected, connected; see also dispersed
scattered; spread irregularly and some distance apart; thin; eg., pile or hairs- spherulate
see also perlate, tuberculate
provided with one or more rows of minute tubercles- spinose
diminutive: spinulate; see also echinate
armed with thorny spines, more elongated than echinate- spinulate
see also echinulate
set with numerous small, thorny spines; minutely spinose- squamate
rare; see also cataphracted, imbricate, scutate
scaly; covered with scales- squarrose
see also pulverulent, rugose, salebrose, scabrous
rough with elevations; scurfy; rough with loose scales differing in direction or not parallel in direction- striate
diminutive: striolate; see also strigate
marked with parallel, fine, longitudinal impressed lines or furrows- strigate
diminutive: strigulate; see also hatched, striate
having narrow, transverse lines or streaks, either raised or impressed; composed of fine, short lines- strigulate
see also striolate
finely or minutely strigate; with numerous short and fine transverse lines, either raised or impressed- striolate
see also strigulate
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
see also canaliculate, porcate
deeply furrowed or grooved
T
- taeniate
- with broad, longitudinal bands or ribbon-like markings (sensu lato); shaped like a tapeworm (sensu stricto)
- tesselate
see also cancellate, clathrate
made up of squares like a chess board, either in sculpturing or in color- torose
diminutive: torulose; see also nodulate, tuberculate, verrucose
superficially swelling in knots, knobs, or protuberances; knobby (sensu lato); in general form, swollen or with a knobby or knotted shape (sensu stricto)- torulose
see also torose
minutely torose; with numerous small knobs or knots (sensu lato)- tuberculate
see also nodulate, torose, verrucose
covered or furnished with rounded, projecting lobes; more projecting than granulate, papillate, or pustulate
U
- undose
see also vermiculate
with undulating, broad, nearly parallel depressions running more or less into each other; wavy, resembling ripple-marks on a sandy beach
V
- variolate
see also cicatrose, impressed, lacunose
pitted as if by smallpox; full of irregular indentations (varioles)- venose
- furnished with veins or vein-like marking; of or pertaining to veins
- vermicular
see also cariose, undose, vermiculate
worm-shaped or worm-like in general body form- vermiculate
see also cariose, undose, vermicular
with superficial, tortuous markings resembling the tracks of a worm- verrucose
see also nodulate, torose, tuberculate
covered with irregularly shaped lobes or wart-like protuberances- vittate
rare
striped; longitudinally striped or plaited
See also
- Arthropod exoskeleton – Part of arthropods
- Glossary of entomology terms
- Glossary of scientific naming
- List of Latin and Greek words commonly used in systematic names – List of terms used in biology
References
- ^ Harris, R. A. (1979). A glossary of surface sculpturing (28 ed.). California Department of Food and Agriculture, Bureau of Entomology. pp. 1–31.
- Revision of the Highly Specialized Ant Genus Discothyrea (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Afrotropics with X-Ray Microtomography and 3D Cybertaxonomy | Insect Systematics and Diversity | Oxford Academic
- https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/24908/element/7/0/Proceratium_bruelheidei#Worker_description
External links
This article incorporates text from a publication with contents licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 4.0: Shattuck, Steve, ed. (2011). "Surface Sculpturing II". AntWiki. Steve Shattuck.