elytrum
El"y*tron, El"y*trum (-tr n.; pl. Elytra. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.) (a) One of the anterior pair of wings in the Coleoptera and some other insects, when they are thick and serve only as a protection for the posterior pair. See Coleoptera. (b) One of the shieldlike dorsal scales of certain annelids. See Chætopoda.