noun
- The thickened or hardened front wings of certain insects, especially true bugs (Hemiptera), that are partly leathery and partly membranous.
Usage: technical; entomology; plural: hemelytra or hemielytra
Examples
- The hemelytra of the stink bug provide protection while allowing some flexibility for flight.
- Entomologists examine the hemelytra to classify different species of true bugs.
- Unlike fully hardened elytra in beetles, the hemelytra have a distinctive two-part structure.
- The membranous tips of the hemelytra fold over the insect's abdomen.
- True bugs are identified partly by the characteristic pattern of veins in their hemelytra.