This is a glossary of terms used in the description of arthropod cuticle, including that of insects such as ants. These animals can have surface textures spanning and combining cracks, excavations, imbrications, mealiness, punctures, reticulations, roughness, scratches, spots, wrinkles, and more. As such, hundred of technical terms have been adapted for use in description of individual specimens from which taxa are defined.
see also colliculate, granulate, papillate
continuously set with granulations like those on a blackberryrare; see also coriaceous, coriarious
rather pale leather-brown; covered with minute cracks like human skin and leathery in texturesee also areolate, goffered, reticulate
honeycombed; with regular, deep, angular cavities (alveoli) separated by thin partitions; furnished with cells or alveolisee also areolate
furnished with open areas or with areas defined on the surfacesee also alveolate, areate, goffered, reticulate
divided into a number of small, irregular, impressed spaces[1]rare; see also clathrate, reticulate
alatticework or grid; a series of enclosed cells or chambersantonym: ecarinate; diminutive: carinulate; see also costate, cristate, porcate
keeled; having keels or carinae; with one, or several, but usually few longitudinal narrow raised ribs or ridgessee also costulate, cristulate
with several small, elevated longitudinal ridges or carinae; less prominent than carinatesee also vermicular, vermiculate
corroded; appearing worm-eaten; with cavities or ulcerationsdiminutive: catenulate; see also consute
with longitudinal, connected elevations like links in a chainrare; see also canaliculate, fluted, striate, strigate
having deep grooves or channelssee also cancellate, reticulate
latticed; elevated ridges decussing at right anglesantonym: sparse
crowded; thickly clusteredantonyms: dispersed, sparse; see also conflected
scattered; spread irregularly and some distance apart; thin; eg., pile or hairssee also catenate
with very minute elevations in series, some distance apart, and of a different color from the general surface, which resemble stitching somewhatrare; see also alutaceous, coriarious
leather-like in texture, with minute cracks like human skinrare; see also alutaceous, coriaceous
leather-like in sculpture; with minute cracks like human skinrare
wrinkled into furrows; with alternate ridges and channelsdiminutive: crenulate
having the margin evenly notched with rounded teethdiminutive: cristulate; see also carinate, costate, porcate
with a prominent carina or crest on the upper surface; crestedsee also carinulate
with several, small, crescent-like ridges or crestsrare; see also glabrous, immaculate, investitus, nude
without hairs or scales (sensu stricto); without vestiture of any kind (sensu lato)see also sparse
with scattered markings or small sculpturesantonym: carinate
without or deprived of a keel or a carina (used to contrast carinate)diminutive: echinulate
thickly set or armed with short, stout spines or prickles; spiny like a hedgehogsee also sculptured
ornamented with raised sculpturingrare; see also impressed
ploughed; sculpted; furrowed; sulcated; an excavated surface in generalrare; see also lacunose
with a scooped out depression; superficially, with a hollowed out areaantonym: plicate
unfolded or open; also, without folds or plicaerare; see also fossulate, scrobiculate
with irregular, more or less longitudinal depressions, as if carved or scooped outsee also farinose, pollinose, pruinose, pulverulent, rorulent
mealy or powdery looking; applied to surfaces or wingssee also farinaceous, pollinose, pruinose, pulverulent, rorulent
dotted with many single flour-like spots; mealysee also corticinus, fissate, rimose
with superficial cracks, crevices, or similar openingsrare
with transparent areas or window-like openings (fenestrae) as in the wings of some Lepidopterasee also corticinus, fatiscent, rimose
with fissures or cracks (sensu lato); divided or cleft (sensu stricto)rare; see also canaliculate, channelled
having parallel grooves or flutes; channelledsee also exsculptate, lacunose, scrobiculate
with oblong depressions (fossulae); more elongate or furrow-like than scrobiculatesee also denudate, immaculate, investitus, nude
smooth, devoid of pubescence (sensu stricto); devoid of any sculpturing (sensu lato)rare; see also alveolate, areolate, cancellate, clathrate, reticulate
with regular impressions, closely set, and separated by narrow ridges; waffling or honeycombsrare; see also strigate
closely marked with numerous short, transverse linessee also cataphracted, scutate, squamate
partly overlapping and appearing like shingles on a roof or scales on a fishantonym: maculate; see also denudate, glabrous, investitus, nude
destitute of spots, marks, or sculpturing (sensu lato); destitute of spots or marks (sensu stricto)antonym: punctate
not punctate or marked with punctures (used to contrast punctate)rare; antonym: notate
without markingssee also interval
a space between two lines, whether striateorpunctatesee also interstice
a space between two structures or sculpturessee also denudate, glabrous, immaculate, nude
unclothed; without scales or hairdiminutive: lineolate
longitudinally marked with raised or depressed parallel lines; with linear marksrare; antonym: immaculate; see also adsperse, atomarius, irrorate
spotted; with many superficial marks or spotssee also sculpture
the pattern of marks or spots on a surfaceantonym: inermis
a surface armed with spines or other excrescencessee also inermis
unarmed; lacking processes where such usually occursee also acinose, colliculate, torulose, tuberculate, verrucose
a surface sculpturing of small knots or swellingsrare; antonym: innotate; see also impressed, maculate, ordinate
marked by spots (sensu stricto); with a series of depressed marks as a sculpture (sensu lato)see also denudate, glabrous, immaculate, investitus
naked; devoid of hair, scales or other surface vestituresee also acinose, colliculate, papillulate, pustulate
covered with small, nipple-like surface elevations, often porous at the tipsee also papillate
beset with depressions or elevations with a small elevation in the center (apapillule)see also ordinate
spots or sculpturing arranged in rows or regularly arranged; beaded (sensu lato); bearing relieved, rounded points in series (sensu stricto)see also plicate
foldrare; see also farinaceous, farinose, pruinose, pulverulent, rorulent
covered with a loose, mealy, often yellow dust like the pollen of flowers; fine mealsee also canaliculate, carinate, costate, cristate, striate, sulcate
with several parallel, longitudinal ridges with deep, broad sulcationssee also protuberance
raised or produced above the surface or beyond the margin; standing out in relief; conspicuous by positionsee also prominent
any excrescence above the surface; a prominencesee also farinaceous, farinose, pollinose, pulverulent, rorulent
appearing covered with a fine dust or coarse powder, but which cannot be rubbed off; the brightness of the surface somewhat obscured by the appearance of a bloom like that of a plumsee also farinaceous, farinose, pollinose, pruinose, rorulent, squarrose
powdery or dusty. Also, covered with very minute, powder-like scalesantonym: impunctate; diminutive: puncticulate, punctulate; see also foveate, foveolate
set with fine, impressed points or punctures appearing as pin-prickssee also punctulate
sparsely punctate with very fine, widely spaced puncturessee also puncticulate
finely punctate; with numerous minute and close set puncturessee also acinose, colliculate, papillate
covered with small, blister-like swellings larger than papillae and never with a terminal poresee also alveolate, areolate, cancellate, clathrate, goffered
superficially net-like or made up of a network of lines; meshed; netted[1]diminutive: rimulose; see also corticinus, fatiscent, fissate, rivose, undose
with minute, narrow and nearly parallel excavations (rimae) running into each other; chinky; resembling the cracked bark of a treesee also farinaceous, farinose, pollinose, pruinose, pulverulent, squarrose
covered with a bloom of fine dust that can be rubbed offsee also scabriculous
minutely rugose; minutely wrinkled[1]see also murriculate, shagreened
finely scabrous; with fine and regular short, sharp, wrinkles and/or projectionsdiminutive: scabriculous; see also rugose, salebrose, squarrose
rough; irregularly and roughly rugose; possessing short, sharp projections or wrinklessee also exsculptate, fossulate
uniformly covered with short, oblong or trench-like hollowssee also maculation
the markings or pattern of impressions or elevations on a surfacesee also embossed
ornamented with raised sculpturing; superficially marked with elevations or depressions or both, arranged in some definable mannerdiminutive: scutellate; see also cataphracted, imbricate, squamate
covered with large, flat, scales; having a scutum; shield-shaped; scutiformrare; see also cataphracted, imbricate, squamate
divided into surfaces like small plates, minutely scutaterare
lines arranged in parallel series, either in sculpture or in color, as in the Corixidae of the Heteropterarare; see also scabriculous
covered with a closely set roughness, like the rough-surfaced horse leather termed shagreen; like shark leatherantonyms: conflected, connected; see also dispersed
scattered; spread irregularly and some distance apart; thin; eg., pile or hairssee also perlate, tuberculate
provided with one or more rows of minute tuberclessee also echinulate
set with numerous small, thorny spines; minutely spinoserare; see also cataphracted, imbricate, scutate
scaly; covered with scalessee also pulverulent, rugose, salebrose, scabrous
rough with elevations; scurfy; rough with loose scales differing in direction or not parallel in directiondiminutive: strigulate; see also hatched, striate
having narrow, transverse lines or streaks, either raised or impressed; composed of fine, short linessee also striolate
finely or minutely strigate; with numerous short and fine transverse lines, either raised or impressedsee also strigulate
minutely or finely striate; with numerous parallel and very fine longitudinal impressed lines or furrowssee also canaliculate, porcate
deeply furrowed or groovedsee also cancellate, clathrate
made up of squares like a chess board, either in sculpturing or in colordiminutive: torulose; see also nodulate, tuberculate, verrucose
superficially swelling in knots, knobs, or protuberances; knobby (sensu lato); in general form, swollen or with a knobby or knotted shape (sensu stricto)see also torose
minutely torose; with numerous small knobs or knots (sensu lato)see also vermiculate
with undulating, broad, nearly parallel depressions running more or less into each other; wavy, resembling ripple-marks on a sandy beachsee also cariose, undose, vermiculate
worm-shaped or worm-like in general body formsee also cariose, undose, vermicular
with superficial, tortuous markings resembling the tracks of a wormsee also nodulate, torose, tuberculate
covered with irregularly shaped lobes or wart-like protuberancesrare
striped; longitudinally striped or plaited
This article incorporates text from a publication with contents licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 4.0: Shattuck, Steve, ed. (2011). "Surface Sculpturing II". AntWiki. Steve Shattuck.