clitellum

 
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clitellum

  (klī-tĕl'əm) pronunciation
clitellum
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clitellum
(Elizabeth Morales)
n., pl. -tel·la (-tĕl'ə).

A swollen, glandular, saddlelike region in the epidermis of certain annelid worms, such as the earthworm, that secretes a viscous fluid to form a cocoon for their eggs.

[New Latin clītellum, sing. of Latin clītellae, packsaddle.]


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Wikipedia: Clitellum

In earthworms and some other annelids, the clitellum is a thickened glandular section of the body wall that secretes a viscid sac in which the eggs are deposited. Once the eggs have been deposited in the sac, the clitellum slides off of the earthworm's body.

See also

Earthworm Reproduction

A clitellum is part of the reproductive system of an annelid (a worm with small rings or segments). The clitellum is a thick, saddle-like, ring found in the epidermis (skin) of the worm. To form a cocoon for its eggs, the clitellum secretes a viscous fluid. This organ is used in sexual reproduction of some annelids. The clitellum becomes apparent in mature annelids and may be hard to visually locate in younger annelids. Its color is usually slightly lighter than that of the body of the annelid.

Mitchell, Anne P. All about segmented worms-phylum annelida.Retrieved

    Online August 1, 2008. http://www.allaboutworms.com/segmented-worms-     phylum-annelida

The Free Dictionary. August 1, 2008. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/clitellum


 
 

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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Clitellum" Read more