clitellum

American  

[klahy-tel-uhm] / klaɪˈtɛl əm /

noun

clitella plural

1. a ring or saddle-shaped region of glandular tissue in the body wall of certain annelids, as earthworms and some leeches, that after copulation secretes a cocoon in which the eggs and sperm are deposited for fertilization and development.

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clitellum British  

/ klɪˈtɛləm /

noun

1. a thickened saddle-like region of epidermis in earthworms and leeches whose secretions bind copulating worms together and later form a cocoon around the eggs

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• clitella
  plural

Etymology

Origin of clitellum

1830–40; < New Latin, neuter noun based on Latin clītellae packsaddle

Example Sentences

Each earthworm will form an egg capsule in its clitellum and pass it into the environment.

From Washington Post • Apr. 21, 2017

Some species bear a specialized band of segments known as a clitellum.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

The clitellum is a swollen, smooth section of the earthworm.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

The clitellum consists of a thickening of the epidermis, and is of two forms among the Oligochaeta.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 7 "Cerargyrite" to "Charing Cross" by Various

The position of the clitellum, which is universal in occurrence, varies much as does the number of component segments.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 7 "Cerargyrite" to "Charing Cross" by Various