noun
- the hardened plates on the underside of the abdomen in arthropods such as insects and crustaceans
Usage: biology; entomology
Examples
- The entomologist examined the beetle’s sternites under a microscope.
- Each abdominal segment has corresponding sternites on the ventral side.
- The sternites provide protection for the insect’s soft internal organs.
- Taxonomists use the shape and number of sternites to identify species.
- The crab’s sternites were clearly visible when it was turned over.
- Students learned to distinguish between tergites and sternites in their biology lab.