El·y·tron El·y·trum n.; pl. Elytra Zoöl. (a) One of the anterior pair of wings in the Coleoptera and some other insects, when they are thick and serve only as a protection for the posterior pair. See Coleoptera. (b) One of the shieldlike dorsal scales of certain annelids. See Chætopoda.
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elytron
n : either of the horny front wings in beetles and some other
insects which cover and protect the functional hind wings
[syn: wing case]
[also: elytra (pl)]