1. SYN: scute. 2. In ixodid (hard) ticks, a plate that largely or entirely covers the dorsum of the male and forms an anterior shield behind the capitulum of the female or immature ticks. [L. shield]
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scu·tum (skuґtəm) [L. “shieldâ€] 1. tympanic scute. 2. cartilago thyroidea. 3. a hard chitinous plate on the anterior portion of the dorsal surface of hard-bodied ticks.Medical dictionary. 2011.