prosternaladj.
/prəʊˈstəːnl/, U.S. /proʊˈstərn(ə)l/ Entomology.
Of or relating to the prosternum of an insect.
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the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > parts of insects > [adjective] > of thorax > of or relating to prothorax > of or relating to prosternum
prosternal1850
presternal1890
1850 J. L. Leconte in L. Agassiz & J. E. Cabot Lake Superior ii. iv. 228 (footnote) The prosternal spine is more deflexed than in any other species I have yet seen.
1869 Ann. Rep. Commissioner Agric. 1868 93 in U.S. Congress. Serial Set (40th Congr., 3rd Sess.: House of Representatives Executive Doc.) XV They [sc. Elateridæ] extend the prothorax so as to bring the prosternal spine..to the anterior part of the mesosternal cavity.
1944 R. Matheson Entomol. for Introd. Courses xv. 324 Prosternal spine loosely placed in a notch in the mesosternum so as to admit of a springing action.
1994 Cell & Tissue Res. 275 63 The prosternal chamber [of the parasitoid fly Ormia ochracea] is connected to the outside by a pair of tracheae.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2007; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1850