Scutellum (insects)

The triangular shield of the shiny gold rose beetle ( Cetonia aurata ) is easily recognizable between the wings and the pronotum.

The label is not always easy to recognize at first glance, here with the green, shiny jewel beetle

Scutellum and postscutellum in flies

The term scutellum (variant of Latin scutulum "small shield", diminutive form of scutum "long shield ") or shield describes a mostly triangular and strongly hardened ( sclerotized ) part of the middle segment of the thorax ( mesothorax ) in insects . It is part of the notum . In beetles (Coleoptera) and bedbugs (Heteroptera), the scutellum is usually clearly visible as a wedge inserted between the wing covers. In the case of the shield bugs (Scutelleridae) it even covers the entire abdomen . Even in hymenoptera (Hymenoptera), the scutellum is almost always clearly visible, but sometimes consists of several parts.

While the word scutellum only refers to the small dimensions of the back shield , the terms mesoscutellum or metascutellum express that the scutellum lies on the middle or rear chest section. In beetles and bedbugs, the scutellum is a mesoscutellum, in some Hymenoptera there is a meso- and metascutellum.

The term postscutellum refers to the location with respect to a scutellum. It describes a chitin clasp or plate that lies behind a scutellum and belongs to the same section of the body as it. A postscutellum is formed in some two-winged animals ( Diptera ), but not in others (see illustration). A postscutellum of the metathorax is more precisely called a metapostscutellum , a mesopostscutellum is a postscutellum of the mesothorax. The postscutellum of some dipteras is also called subscutellum because it is deeper than the scutellum.

Web links

Scutellum in the Lexicon of Biology

Individual evidence

↑ Charles Frederick Parington: The British Cyclopedia of Natural History . Second volume. Orr & Smith, London 1836, p. 858 (English)
↑ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary 1913 (English)
↑ Maggenti et al .: Online Dictionary of Invertebrate Zoology . University of Nebraska-Lincoln 2005 (English)
^ Stefan von Kéler: Entomological dictionary . Berlin 1963.
↑ John L. Capinera (Ed.): Encyclopedia of Entomology . Springer 2008, ISBN 978-1-4020-6242-1 (English).

[1] Charles Frederick Parington: The British Cyclopedia of Natural History . Second volume. Orr & Smith, London 1836, p. 858 (English)

[2] Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary 1913 (English)

[3] Maggenti et al .: Online Dictionary of Invertebrate Zoology . University of Nebraska-Lincoln 2005 (English)

[4] Stefan von Kéler: Entomological dictionary . Berlin 1963.

[5] John L. Capinera (Ed.): Encyclopedia of Entomology . Springer 2008, ISBN 978-1-4020-6242-1 (English).