sclerite

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sclerite One of the hard components into which the external skeleton of an invertebrate may be divided (e.g. an exoskeleton plate of an arthropod (Arthropoda) in which the sclerites are connected to one another by flexible cuticular membranes). Sclerites are made from sclerotin, which is principally chitin and protein, and frequently contains waxes or calcium salts. The word sclerite is derived from the Greek skleros, ‘hard’.