Glossary of arthropod cuticle

Last updated March 04, 2025 • 4 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

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,^[1] 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

a-: wanting or without
ab-: off; away from
aciculate: see also rastrate, scarified
appearing as if irregularly scratched with a needle^[2]
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^[2]
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^[2]
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^[2]

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

References

↑ John Paul Hellenbrand; Clint A. Penick (2023). "Ant cuticle microsculpturing: diversity, classification, and evolution" (PDF). Myrmecological News . 33: 123–138. doi:10.25849/myrmecol.news_033:123.
1 2 3 4 Harris, R. A. (1979). A glossary of surface sculpturing (28 ed.). California Department of Food and Agriculture, Bureau of Entomology. pp. 1–31.
↑ Hita-Garcia, Francisco; Lieberman, Ziv; Audisio, Tracy L.; Liu, Cong; Economo, Evan P. (2019). "Revision of the Highly Specialized Ant Genus Discothyrea (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Afrotropics with X-Ray Microtomography and 3D Cybertaxonomy". Insect Systematics and Diversity. 3 (6). Oxford Academic. doi:10.1093/isd/ixz015.
↑ Staab, Michael; Hita Garcia, Francisco; Liu, Cong; Xu, Zheng-Hui; Economo, Evan P. (2018). "Systematics of the ant genus Proceratium Roger (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Proceratiinae) in China – with descriptions of three new species based on micro-CT enhanced next-generation-morphology". ZooKeys (770): 137–192. Bibcode:2018ZooK..770..137S. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.770.24908 . PMC 6041363 . PMID 30002593.
↑ Rabeling, Christian; Brown, Jeremy M.; Verhaagh, Manfred (2008-09-15). "Newly discovered sister lineage sheds light on early ant evolution". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 105 (39): 14913–14917. Bibcode:2008PNAS..10514913R. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0806187105 . PMC 2567467 . PMID 18794530.

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.

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[1] John Paul Hellenbrand; Clint A. Penick (2023). "Ant cuticle microsculpturing: diversity, classification, and evolution" (PDF). Myrmecological News . 33: 123–138. doi:10.25849/myrmecol.news_033:123.

[Harris1979-2] 1 2 3 4 Harris, R. A. (1979). A glossary of surface sculpturing (28 ed.). California Department of Food and Agriculture, Bureau of Entomology. pp. 1–31.

[3] Hita-Garcia, Francisco; Lieberman, Ziv; Audisio, Tracy L.; Liu, Cong; Economo, Evan P. (2019). "Revision of the Highly Specialized Ant Genus Discothyrea (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Afrotropics with X-Ray Microtomography and 3D Cybertaxonomy". Insect Systematics and Diversity. 3 (6). Oxford Academic. doi:10.1093/isd/ixz015.

[4] Staab, Michael; Hita Garcia, Francisco; Liu, Cong; Xu, Zheng-Hui; Economo, Evan P. (2018). "Systematics of the ant genus Proceratium Roger (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Proceratiinae) in China – with descriptions of three new species based on micro-CT enhanced next-generation-morphology". ZooKeys (770): 137–192. Bibcode:2018ZooK..770..137S. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.770.24908 . PMC 6041363 . PMID 30002593.

[5] Rabeling, Christian; Brown, Jeremy M.; Verhaagh, Manfred (2008-09-15). "Newly discovered sister lineage sheds light on early ant evolution". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 105 (39): 14913–14917. Bibcode:2008PNAS..10514913R. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0806187105 . PMC 2567467 . PMID 18794530.

[1]

[2]

Glossary of arthropod cuticle

Contents

A

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

L

M

N

O

P

R

S

T

U

V

See also

References

External links