# Glossary of arthropod cuticle

This is a glossary of terms used in the description of arthropod cuticle, including that of insects such as ants. For reasons still under investigation, 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.
* 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
* See also
* References
* External links

## A
### a-

    wanting or without

### ab-

    off; away from

### aciculate

    see also rastrate, scarified appearing as if irregularly scratched with a needle

### acinose

    see also colliculate, granulate, papillate continuously set with granulations like those on a blackberry

### adsperse

    rare; see also atomarius, irrorate, maculate 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

    see also salebrose, scabrous, squarrose rough and uneven

### atomarius

    rare; see also adsperse, irrorate, maculate. 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

    see also imbricate, scutate squamate 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

    rare; see also impressed, lacunose, variolate 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

    see also intricate, obscure 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

    rare; see also fatiscent, fissate, rimose 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

    diminutive: punctate; see also 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

    see also acinose, farinose covered with or made up of very small grains or granules; minutely and densely verrucose or minutely farinose

## H
### hatched

    rare; see also strigate closely marked with numerous short, transverse lines

## 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

    rare; see also cicatrose, lacunose, variolate having shallow, depressed areas or markings

### impunctate

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

### inermis

    antonym: munite; see also mutic 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

    see also confused, obscure 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

    see also adsperse, atomarius, farinose, maculate freckled or speckled; covered with minute spots or granules

## L
### lacunose

    see also excavated, foveate, impressed, variolate full of hollows or cavities; with scattered and irregular broad, shallow cavities

### levigate

    rare; see also glabrous, micans, nitid, politus 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

    see also glabrous, levigate, nitid, politus 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

    see also glabrous, levigate, micans, politus 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

    see also confused, intricate 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

    see also glabrous, micans, nitid 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

    see also aciculate, scarified 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

    diminutive: rivulose; see also rimose, venose 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

    diminutive: rugulose; see also salebrose, scabrous wrinkled

### rugulose

    see also scabriculous minutely rugose; minutely wrinkled

## S
### salebrose

    rare; see also asperous, rugose, scabrous, squarrose 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

    see also aciculate, rastrate 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