dactylethra

plural dactylethrae

1. One of several hollow fingerlike projections found on some bryozoans, used to absorb nutrients.

   Erkosonea differs from that genus in the presence of dactylethrae instead of tergospores.

   1920, Ferdinand Canu, Ray S. Bassler, North American Early Tertiary Bryozoa

   2 more examples

   The dorsal is hardly convex; it is formed by a thick layer of dactylethrae closed by a thin calcareous lamella. The dactylethrae appear on the frontal at the birfurcations.

   1941, James H. McGuirt, Louisiana Tertiary Bryozoa, page 105

   The heterozooids include mainly kenozooids or structures with comparable functions such as rhizoids, dactylethrae, tergozooecia (tergopores), cancelli (vacuolar zooecia), alveoli, firmatopores, nanozooids as well as eleozooids and their derivatives.

   2020, Thomas Schwaha, Phylum Bryozoa

2. A finger sheath

   The egg gauze was carefully collected from the field after 48 h of exposure and maintained within 10 ml glass dactylethrae.

   2016 February 17, “Influence of Landscape Diversity and Composition on the Parasitism of Cotton Bollworm Eggs in Maize”, in PLOS ONE, →DOI

   1 more example

   Instruments used in Stomatology: Bouglosson (tongue scraper or depressor), dactylethra (finger stall), lithanaboleus (parotid duct stone hauler), stomatodiastoleus (mouth opening instrument), sphenarion (wedge to keep mouth open),

   2014, D. Michaelides, Medicine and Healing in the Ancient Mediterranean, page 151