What is "scutellum"

Scutellum \Scu*tel"lum\, n.; pl. Scutella. [NL., neut. dim. of L. scutum a shield.]

1. (Bot.) A rounded apothecium having an elevated rim formed of the proper thallus, the fructification of certain lichens.

2. (Zo["o]l.)

   1. The third of the four pieces forming the upper part of a thoracic segment of an insect. It follows the scutum, and is followed by the small postscutellum; a scutella. See Thorax.

   2. One of the transverse scales on the tarsi and toes of birds; a scutella.

n. 1 Any of several shield-shaped structures in insects, grasses etc 2 # (context lichenology English) A rounded apothecium having an elevated rim formed of the proper thallus, the fructification of certain lichens. 3 # (context zoology English) The third of the four pieces forming the upper part of a thoracic segment of an insect. It follows the scutum, and is followed by the small postscutellum. 4 # (context zoology English) One of the transverse scales on the tarsus and toes of birds.

The scutellum is the posterior portion of either the mesonotum or the metanotum of an insect thorax; however, it is used almost exclusively in the former context, as the metanotum is rather reduced in most insect groups. In the Hemiptera, and some Coleoptera, the scutellum is a small triangular plate behind the pronotum and between the forewing bases. In Diptera and Hymenoptera the scutellum is nearly always distinct, but much smaller than (and immediately posterior to) the mesoscutum.

morphology-d.svg|26=Heteroptera scutellum anatomy-key.svg|6=Diptera scutellum schématique.jpg|9=Coleoptera scutellum ant worker anatomy-en.svg|10=Formicidae scutellum

Category:Insect anatomy

The scutellum is part of the structure of a barley and rice seed—the modified seed leaf.

The scutellum (from the latin scutella meaning "small shield") can also refer to the equivalence of a thin cotyledon in monocots (especially members of the grass family). It is very thin with high surface area, and serves to absorb nutrients from the endosperm during germination.

The scutellum is believed to contain an as yet unidentified protein transporter that facilitates starch movement from the endosperm to the embryo.

Scutellum may refer to:

• Scutellum (insect anatomy), a term used in the anatomy of arthropods
• Scutellum (botany), a term used in the morphology of grasses
• Scutellum (trilobite), a genus of trilobites

Scutellum was a genus of trilobite in the family Styginidae. They lived during the Devonian Period and are most often found in the Atlas Mountain area of Morocco.