noun
- Plural of epistome; a plate or flap-like structure located above the mouth in certain crustaceans and other arthropods.
Usage: technical; zoology
Examples
- The epistomes of the crustacean specimens were examined under the microscope.
- Researchers studied how epistomes function in feeding mechanisms across different arthropod species.
- The morphology of epistomes varies significantly among crustacean groups.
- Taxonomists use the structure of epistomes as a diagnostic feature in classification.