Organ and Organ Systems in Animals: Glossary

Organ and Organ Systems in Animals

Glossary

After-shaft – Small tuft of soft feathers near the superior umbilicus of Quill feather

Articular membrane – The non-sclerotized, flexible membrane between the segments of arthropods, and the joints of arthropod appendages.

Bipedal – Walk or stand on two feet.

Buccal cavity – The first region of the alimentary canal, between mouth and pharynx.

Chloragogen Cells – Surrounding the alimentary canal; is attributed to excretion and regeneration.

Clitellum – A regional epidermal swelling, where gland cells secrete material to form the cocoon.

Cochlea – A coiled tube found in the inner ear, essential for hearing

Cocoon – It is a bag like structure secreted by the clitellum. Eggs and sperms are deposited into it. Fertilization and development occurs within the cocoon.

Coelom – The body cavity between the body wall and the alimentary canal.

Cutaneous Respiration – Respiration through skin

Elytra – Elytra (singular elytron) are the tough forewings of beetles and earwigs. The elytra are not used in flight but are used to protect the more delicate hind wings. The elytra are often coloured or decorated with pits and grooves

Gizzard – The muscularized portion of the digestive system.

Homeothermic – Warm blooded and maintain a constant body temperature.

Hypopharynx – The hypopharynx is a somewhat globular structure, located medially to the mandibles and the maxillae. In many species it is membranous and associated with salivary glands. It assists in swallowing the food.

Labium – A fused mouthpart which forms the floor of the mouth of an insect. The labium is the most complex of the cockroach mouthparts.

Mandibles – Insect mandibles are a pair of appendages near the insect's mouth, and the most anterior of the three pairs of oral appendages (the labrum is more anterior, but is a single fused structure). Their function is typically to grasp, crush, or cut the insect's food, or to defend against predators or rivals.

Maxillae – In arthropods, the maxillae (singular maxilla) are paired structures present on the head as mouthparts in members of the clade Mandibulata, used for tasting and manipulating food.

Maxillary teeth – In frog a row of small and pointed maxillary teeth is found on the inner region of the upper jaw.

Nephridia – They are highly coiled excretory organs.

Nestlings – The young birds’ that has not left the nest.

Nictitating membrane – A transparent membrane drawn over and protect the eye when frog is under water

Nuptial pad – Copulatory pad which is present only in male frog

Oviparous – Oviparous animals are animals that lay eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother.

Poikilotherms – Cold blooded organisms/ Body temperature fluctuates according to environmental temperature

Sclerites – Sclerite is hard armor like structure for arthopods (even cockroaches) soft body. Sclerites are really deposition of Calcium or cross linking of protein to make the exoskeleton stronger.

Setae – They are small, S- Shaped chitinous structures present in the pits of the body wall of earthworms. They aid is locomotion. Some setae are modified into Penial setae in the male genital opening and these help in copulation.

Sinus venosus – A large thin walled, triangular chamber, which is present on the dorsal side of the heart.

Tympanum – The vibrating ear drum involved in hearing

Typhlosole – A median dorsal internal fold in the intestine of several types of animals, including the earthworm,

Vectors –A vector is an organism that does not cause disease itself but which spreads infection by conveying pathogens from one host to another.

Villus – A minute finger-like process from intestinal lining of vertebrates

Vocal sac – The male frog has a pair of vocal sacs a little behind the mouth. They assist in amplifying the croaking sounds of frog.