alloscutum

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noun

the flexible part of the dorsal body wall behind the rigid scutum in a hard tick, particularly a female — the alloscutum is the part of the body wall that must stretch to accommodate the blood that the tick swallows when it engorges in preparation for laying eggs.

OriginAncient Greek ἄλλος ← Latin scūtum →
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Meanings

nounalloscutum (plural alloscuta)

plural alloscuta

  1. biologythe flexible part of the dorsal body wall behind the rigid scutum in a hard tick, particularly a female — the alloscutum is the part of the body wall that must stretch to accommodate the blood that the tick swallows when it engorges in preparation for laying eggs.

    Powerful muscle groups are also present in the alloscutum of the female, nymphal, and larval Ixodid ticks, through which the tick is able to redistribute the centre of gravity and regain an upright position when it falls into an upside-down position.

    2008, Heinz Mehlhorn, Encyclopedia of Parasitology, →ISBN

Origin

  1. Latinscūtum“shield”
  2. Ancient Greekἄλλος“other”
  3. Englishalloscutum

From Ancient Greek ἄλλος (állos, “other”) and from Latin scūtum (“shield”).

More words from Ancient Greek, Latin

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Cite this entry
APA

alloscutum. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alloscutum

MLA

“alloscutum.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alloscutum. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “alloscutum,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alloscutum.

Source: alloscutum on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.