heterostracan

American

[het-uh-ros-truh-kuhn] / ˌhɛt əˈrɒs trə kən /

noun

Paleontology.

any of several ostracoderms of the order Heterostraci, from the Silurian and Devonian Periods, having the anterior part of the body enclosed in bony plates.

< New Latin Heterostrac(i) (plural) name of the order, equivalent to heter- heter- ( def. ) + Greek ostrak(ón) (singular) “shell” + -an

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The exact nature of heterostracan feeding remains an open question.

From Science Daily • Jan. 16, 2024

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023