metapterygiumn.
/ˌmɛtəptəˈrɪdʒɪəm/, U.S. /ˌmɛdəptəˈrɪdʒ(i)əm/ Ichthyology.
The prominent posterior cartilage at the base of the pectoral (and sometimes pelvic) fin in certain cartilaginous fishes.
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the world > animals > fish > parts of fish > [noun] > fin or parts of fin
finc1000
spitc1275
ray1668
pinna1688
radius1740
spine1774
interneural1854
fin-ray1863
mesopterygium1871
metapterygium1871
radiale1871
finlet1874
propterygium1876
radial1882
axonost1887
lepidotrichium1904
1871 Amer. Naturalist 5 584 These pieces have been called by Gegenbaur the metapterygium (humerus), mesopterygium, and propterygium; the first being axial, the second and third being divergent from it.
1880 A. Günther Introd. Study of Fishes iv. 80 The pectoral fin is supported by three bones, pro-, meso-, and metapterygium.
1939 T. L. Green Pract. Animal Biol. i. 108 The pectoral fin consists of a series of cartilages supporting outer horny fibres:—i. Pro-, meso-, and meta-pterygia articulate with the three facets on the girdle.
1986 A. S. Romer & T. S. Parsons Vertebr. Body (ed. 6) vii. 212 (note) Some sharks have three elements attaching basally, termed the pro-, meso-, and metapterygium, but there is great variation in elements other than the metapterygium.
1994 Development Suppl. 175/2 Clear pelvic metapterygia are restricted to chondrosteans.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2001; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1871