ectospermalege
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
ecto- + spermalege
Noun[edit]
ectospermalege (plural ectospermaleges)
- Part of the spermalege, derived from the ectoderm and consisting of a groove in the right-handed posterior margin of the fifth sclerite, overlying a pleural membrane. In order to access the female's haemocoel during traumatic insemination, male bedbugs insert their needle-like penis into the groove and pierce the pleural membrane.