scutellation

[ skyoot-l-ey-shuhn ]

nounZoology.

a scutellate state or formation; a scaly covering, as on a bird's foot.
an arrangement of scutella or scales.

Origin of scutellation

First recorded in 1870–75; scutell(um) + -ation

Words Nearby scutellation

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use scutellation in a sentence

Examination of 18 specimens from Costa Rica shows no differences in scutellation, nor geographic segregation of two populations.
Amphibians and Reptiles of the Rainforests of Southern El Peten, Guatemala | William E. Duellman
There are only ten tail-feathers, and the scutellation of the tarsus is like that of Xenicus.
Extinct Birds | Walter Rothschild
The external scutellation of the plastral hinge in adults also differs from that in juveniles.
Natural History of the Ornate Box Turtle, Terrapene ornata ornata Agassiz | John M. Legler
The scutellation of the cottonmouth closely resembles that of the other species of Agkistrodon.
Natural History of Cottonmouth Moccasin, Agkistrodon piscovorus (Reptilia) | Ray D. Burkett
The subspecies of P. deppei have been defined on characters of coloration and scutellation.
A Taxonomic Study of the Middle American Snake, Pituophis deppei | William E. Duellman

British Dictionary definitions for scutellation

scutellation

/ (ˌskjuːtɪˈleɪʃən) /

nounzoology

the way in which scales or plates are arranged in an animal
a covering of scales or scutella, as on a bird's leg

Origin of scutellation

C19: New Latin, from scutella, plural of scutellum + -ation

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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