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FlyBase Glossary of Anatomical Terms

for BODY PART QUALIFIER and BODY PART controlled vocabularies

This is a listing of some of the controlled vocabularies used by FlyBase. There are links to FlyBase Term reports for each occurance of a BODY PART controlled vocabulary term in this glossary. Click these to search for things associated with particular controlled vocabulary terms throughout FlyBase or browse through all the terms starting at this page.

The purpose of this glossary is to define some basic anatomical (structural) terms as well as to define some of the Drosophila jargon and insect morphological terms used in FlyBase. Help for the controlled vocabulary is also available.

 
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A
abdomen the most posterior of the three main tagmata or divisions of the body plan, after the head and the thorax.
acron the region of the head anterior to the procephalic segments and the gnathal segments.
adult the mature form and final developmental stage.
adipose system an organ system pertaining to fat.
aedeagus the main part of the male genitalia used for copulation.
alar of or pertaining to the wings.
alula a small lobe at the posterior base of the wing.
amnioproctodeal invagination the posterior invagination of ectoderm that gives rise to part of the digestive system.
amnioserosa a dorsal membrane of the embryo.
anlagen the progenitor cells of tissues at blastoderm.
antenna an anterior segmented sensory appendage of the head.
anterior an adjective meaning toward the frontal or head end of an organism, opposite of posterior.
apical an adjective meaning at the tip of something.
apodeme an inward projection of the cuticle and insertion point for muscles.
apophysis an ingrowth of the adult thorax for muscle insertion.
arista a sense organ at the tip of the antenna.
articulation a movable joint between parts.
axillary of or pertaining to the wing base.
 
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B
basal of or pertaining to the base of something.
basiconicum an immobile sensillum on the surface of the cuticle.
blastoderm the surface layer above the yolk of the embryo before gastrulation.
Bolwig's organ a larval sense organ and photoreceptor.
boundary the place where two segments or compartments meet.
brain the main preoral ganglionic mass of the central nervous system containing the ventral ganglia.
bristles see macrochaetae.
buccal of or pertaining to the mouth.
 
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C
campaniformium a bell- or dome-like mechanoreceptor sense organ.
cardial of or pertaining to the heart.
caudal of or pertaining to the tail or tail-end.
cell the basic unit making up an organism bounded by the cell membrane.
central nervous system the part of the nervous system consisting of the brain and ventral ganglia.
cephalic of or pertaining to the head.
cephalopharyngeal skeleton a group of sclerites of the anterior embryonic/larval digestive system.
cerebral of or pertaining to the brain.
cervical of or pertaining to the neck.
chaetae a chitinous external sensory organ.
chitin a hard material composing the cuticle of the integumentary system.
chordotonal organ an external sensory organ for mechanical or sound vibration reception.
chorion a hard shell external to the vitelline membrane of the egg.
cibarium a section of the buccal (mouth) cavity.
clypeus a round structure on the center of the frontal adult external head.
commissure a transverse nerve fibre connecting longitudinal nerve fibres.
compartment a non-morphological, discrete division of the epidermis of each segment containing non-mixing cell populations.
compound eye see eye.
connective a longitudinal nerve fibre connecting transverse nerve fibres.
contralateral of or pertaining to the opposite side, opposite of ipsilateral.
cornea the transparent cuticular covering of each ommatidium of the eye.
costal of or pertaining to the first wing vein at the anterior margin of the wing.
coxa the most proximal leg segment.
crossvein the short connecting wing veins joining the longitudinal wing veins.
cuticle the outer non-living layer of the integumentary system derived from the epidermis.
 
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D
decussation a crossing of nerve fibres.
dendrite the tree-like branches off of a neuron.
denticle the small tooth-like features of the cuticle that make up the denticle belts.
digestive system the organ system involved in the absorption of nutrients.
disc see imaginal disc.
distal of or pertaining to the end of something away from the center or attachment site, opposite of proximal.
dorsal of or pertaining to the top or back-side of something, opposite of ventral.
dorsal appendage the respiratory structures on the anterior dorsal side of the egg.
 
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E
ectoderm the outermost germ layer of the embryo.
egg chamber a compartment of an ovariole.
embryonic furrow the regions of the embryo formed by morphogenetic movements as cells invaginate.
endoderm the innermost germ layer of the embryo.
epidermis the outermost layer of the ectoderm.
eye the compound eye is a light sensing organ made up of ommatidium.
 
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F
fascicle a bundle of nerve fibres.
fat body a tissue of the adipose system containing fat reserves and which is a site of metabolism.
follicle cell the cells that make up the inner lining of the ovariole.
foramen an opening in the adult external skeleton.
foregut an anterior part of the alimentary canal derived from the ectoderm.
frons an area on the front of the head capsule between the antennae and eyes.
frontal of or pertaining to the front of the head.
 
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G
ganglion a component of the nervous system made up of a mass of neurons.
gastrula an embryonic stage at which complex morphogenetic movements result in the formation of the three germ layers; ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm.
gena an area on the side of the head capsule below the eyes.
genitalia the reproductive organs on the adult external abdomen.
germ band the ventral, metameric region of the developing embryo that gives rise to the larva.
germ layer the three primary cell layers of the developing embryo formed at the gastrula stage.
glial cell the supporting cells of the nervous system.
glomerulus a nest of nerve fibres.
gnathal segment the head segments that develop posterior to the embryonic/larval mouth.
gonad the organs of the reproductive system in which the germ cells reside.
 
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H
haltere the appendages of the dorsal adult external thorax used for flight balance.
head capsule the region of cuticle that encloses the adult external head.
hindgut a posterior part of the alimentary canal derived from the ectoderm.
histoblast nest the groups of cells in the larval abdomen which give rise to the adult external abdomen.
humeral usually pertaining to the dorsal prothorax.
humerus see postpronotum.
hypoderm see epidermis.
 
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I
imago see adult.
imaginal of or pertaining to the imago, or adult.
imaginal disc a tissue in the larva which gives rise to the adult external cuticle.
instar the form of one of the three successive larval stages.
integumentary system the organ system that forms the covering layer of the animal.
intercalary segment one of the procephalic segments.
interneuron a neuron which is between other neurons.
intervein see wing cell.
ipsilateral of or pertaining to the same side, opposite of contralateral.
 
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J
Johnston's organ a chordotonal organ of antennal segment 2 used to sense mechanical vibration.
 
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K
   
 
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L
labellum the lobes at the distal end of the mouthparts.
lacinia a component of the proboscis.
larva the developmental stage of the immature animal before metamorphosis.
lateral of or pertaining to a side.
leg the walking appendages of each segment of the ventral adult external thorax.
lobular of or pertaining to small lobes.
 
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M
macrochaetae large bristles which are external sensory organs.
Malpighian tubule the small tubes of the excretory system that open into the posterior portion of the alimentary canal.
mandible see mouth hooks.
margin the border or edge of the wing.
maxillary palpus the appendages of the mouthparts representing adult maxillary structures.
medial of or pertaining to the middle.
medulla the central region of the adult brain.
mesoderm the middle germ layer of the embryo, between the endoderm and ectoderm.
mesothoracic segment the middle or second segment of the thorax.
metamere a division or segment of the body.
metathoracic segment the last or third segment of the thorax.
micropyle a small opening on the surface of the egg through which a spermatozoon enters.
midgut the part of the alimentary canal derived from the endoderm.
morphogenetic furrow a furrow in the eye disc at which the ommatidia of the eye originate.
motor neuron the neurons which send movement impulses to the muscle system.
mouth hooks that part of the cephalopharyngeal skeleton of the larva that represent the mandibles.
muscle attachment site the place where the muscle system attaches to the body wall.
mushroom body a nerve center of the protocerebrum of the adult brain.
 
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N
neuroblast a precursor cell of a neuron of ectodermal origin.
neuromere a segmental ganglion.
neuron a complete nerve cell and a component of a nerve in the nervous system.
nerve a bundle of neurons.
notum see scutum.
nurse cell one of a group of cells in the ovary that surround the oocyte.
 
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O
occipital of or pertaining to the back of the head.
occiput the back of the head.
ocellus a photoreceptor located on the dorsal part of the head capsule.
oenocyte a large cell of the epidermis.
oesophageal of or pertaining to the oesophagus, a region of the alimentary canal.
ommatidium a unit of the compound eye.
optic lobe a region of the adult brain that processes the visual information from the compound eyes.
orbital of or pertaining the region of the head capsule around the compound eye.
 
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P
palp a sensory appendage of the mouthparts.
papilla a small nipple-like structure.
parasegment a segmental unit beside the morphological segments made up of the posterior compartment of one segment and the anterior compartment of the next.
peripodial of or pertaining to something around or surrounding something else, usually an appendage.
peripheral nervous system the outer parts of the nervous system that perform sensory and motor functions.
pharate adult the developmental stage after the imago has eclosed but not yet lost the cuticle from the previous developmental stage.
pharyngeal of or pertaining to the pharynx, an anterior region of the alimentary canal.
photoreceptor a light sensitive sense organ.
phragma a partition-like structure of the adult external cuticle.
placode a flat, plate-like structure.
pleurum a region of the side of the adult external thorax.
pole cell the cells at the posterior of the early embryo which give rise to the germ cells.
pons a bridge-like component of the male terminalia.
posterior of or pertaining to the tail end away from the head, opposite of anterior.
postgena a posterior region of the head capsule behind the gena.
precursor something which gives rise to something more complex later in development.
prepupa the developmental stage derived from the larva and preceding the pupa.
presumptive a term used to describe something that will give rise to something else later in development.
primordium a term used to describe something in its earliest stages of development.
proboscis the trunk-like extension of the mouthparts on the adult external head.
procephalic segment the head segments that are anterior to the gnathal segments.
process an elongated structure or projection.
proctodeum the posterior part of the alimentary canal that is derived from the amnioproctodeal invagination of the ectoderm.
prothoracic of or pertaining to the first segment of the thorax, the second of the three tagmata.
proximal of or pertaining to the end of something nearest the center or attachment site, opposite of distal.
pupa the developmental stage at which time the metamorphosis from larval stage to adult stage occurs.
puparium the hard outer case derived from the third instar larval cuticle that forms a covering during the prepupal stage and pupal stage.
 
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Q
   
 
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R
radius a term used in the synonyms for some of the spoke-like wing veins.
retina a light-receptive structure in each ommatidium of the eye.
rhabdomere the rod-like component of a photoreceptor cell of an ommatidium.
ring gland a structure in the embryonic/larval endocrine system.
rostral of or pertaining to the anterior end of the organism.
 
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S
sacculus a sac-like group of antennal segment 3 sensillae.
sclerite a hard plate of the adult external body wall.
scolopophorous see chordotonal organ.
scutellum a small shield-like region at the posterior of the mesothoracic tergum.
scutum a shield-like region at the middle of the mesothoracic tergum.
segment one of the repeated divisions of the whole organism.
sense organ a specialized structure of the peripheral nervous system that is a receptor for feeling external stimuli
sensillum a small sense organ.
sex comb male specific chaetae located on the prothoracic tarsal segment of the prothoracic leg.
spiracle a specialized hole or opening through which the tracheal system connects to the air outside.
sternal of or pertaining to the sternum.
sternite the adult external sclerites which are segmented components of the ventral abdomen.
sternum the ventral part of the adult external thorax.
stomodeum the anterior part of the embryonic digestive system that is derived from the stomodeal invagination of the ectoderm.
suture a seam-like feature of the adult external body wall where sclerites meet.
syncytial blastoderm the part of the blastoderm developmental stage at which time there are many nuclei not separated by cell walls.
 
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T
tagmata the three main divisions of the whole organism formed from groups of segments.
tegula a tile-like structure at the proximal base of the wing.
tergite the adult external sclerites which are segmented components of the dorsal abdomen.
tergum the dorsal region of the adult external thorax.
terminalia the region of the genitalia at the end of the adult external abdomen.
thorax the central of the three main tagmata or divisions of the insect body plan, after the head and before the abdomen.
 
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U
unguis the claws on the distal tip of the tarsus of the adult external leg.
 
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V
vein see wing vein.
ventral of or pertaining to the bottom or lower-side of something, opposite of dorsal.
ventral midline the middle underside of the embryo.
vibrissae the head bristles on the lower sides of the adult head head capsule near the mouthparts.
vitelline membrane a protective layer around the egg.
 
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W
wing a flight organ of the adult external thorax that is derived from a dorsal mesothoracic disc.
wing cell the regions of wing cuticle interposed between the wing veins.
wing hinge the complex grouping of structures of the proximal wing where it meets the body wall.
wing vein a prominent tubular thickening of the wing.
 
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X
 
 
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Y
yolk the nutritive substance contained in the egg.
 
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Z
   
 
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