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What is "elytron"

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elytron
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Elytron

Elytron \El"y*tron\ (?; 277), Elytrum \El"y*trum\ (-tr?m)n.; pl. Elytra. [NL., fr. Gr. ?, fr. ? to roll round.] (Zo["o]l.)

  1. One of the anterior pair of wings in the Coleoptera and some other insects, when they are thick and serve only as a protection for the posterior pair. See Coleoptera.

  2. One of the shieldlike dorsal scales of certain annelids. See Ch[ae]topoda.

Wiktionary
elytron

n. A sheath or outer covering, especially around the spinal cord or over the hindwings of certain insects.

WordNet
elytron

  1. n. either of the horny front wings in beetles and some other insects which cover and protect the functional hind wings [syn: wing case]

  2. [also: elytra (pl)]

Wikipedia
Elytron

An elytron (; from ; plural: elytra, ) is a modified, hardened forewing of certain insect orders, notably beetles (Coleoptera) and a few of the true bugs ( Heteroptera); in most true bugs, the forewings are instead called hemelytra (sometimes misspelled as "hemielytra"), as only the basal half is thickened while the apex is membranous. An elytron is sometimes also referred to as a shard.

Elytron (journal)

Elytron is a Spain-based journal for specialists in coleopterology (the study of beetles). It was first published in 1987.

Category:Entomology journals and magazines Elytron Category:Publications established in 1987

Usage examples of "elytron".

Their angles were as sharp as ever, and they did not differ in appearance from the other wing and elytron of the same insect which had been left in water.

You see, sir,--and he went on with elytra and antennae and tarsi and metatarsi and tracheae and stomata and wingmuscles and leg-muscles and ganglions,--all plain enough, I do not doubt, to those accustomed to handling dor-bugs and squash-bugs and such undesirable objects of affection to all but naturalists.

The stiff edges, being forced slightly apart by the inclination of the body, come back into contact with a sharp click, similar to that emitted by the elytra of certain beetles.

Weldon, heedless that she gave him little or no attention, “this is the country of the manticoræ, and wonderful coleoptera they are, with their long hairy legs, their sharp elytra and their big mandibles.