noun
- plural of operculum; lid-like structures that cover or close openings in organisms
Usage: biology; anatomy
Examples
- The fish’s opercula protect the delicate gill structures underneath.
- Marine biologists examined the opercula of various mollusk species.
- The opercula open and close to regulate water flow over the gills.
- Damaged opercula can affect a fish’s ability to breathe properly.
- The researcher carefully removed the opercula to study the gill anatomy.
- Different fish species have opercula of varying shapes and sizes.