What is "sclerite"

Sclerite \Scle"rite\ (skl[=e]"r[imac]t), n. (Zo["o]l.) A hard chitinous or calcareous process or corpuscle, especially a spicule of the Alcyonaria.

n. (context biology English) A hardened body part, especially in arthropod exoskeletons.

n. hard plate or element of the exoskeleton of some arthropods

A sclerite ( Greek , , meaning " hard") is a hardened body part. In various branches of biology the term is applied to various structures, but not as a rule to vertebrate anatomical features such as bones and teeth. Instead it refers most commonly to the hardened parts of arthropod exoskeletons and the internal spicules of invertebrates such as certain sponges and soft corals. In paleontology, a scleritome is the complete set of sclerites of an organism, often all that is known from fossil invertebrates.