Synonym of Sclerites

In arthropods, this hardening is accomplished by the cross-linking of the protein chains in the exocuticle, a process called sclerotization. Thus, the arthropod exoskeleton is divided into numerous sclerites, joined by unsclerotized, membranous regions. The precise shapes and arrangement of the different sclerites provide the vast majority of morphological features that are used as characters when reconstructing the phylogenetic relationships among different lineages; they provide the foundation for arthropod systematics, primarily through the ability of the systematist to accurately assess the homologies of the different sclerites, as to how they may be lost, gained, fused, divided, or otherwise modified from one lineage to another. For example, the sclerite called the mandible in insects varies dramatically in form between orders, but all the different variations are homologous.

• tergites sur le dos de l'animal,
• pleurites sur le flanc de l'animal,
• sternites sur la partie ventrale de l'animal.