Meaning of rastellum | Babel Free

Definitions

1. In certain mygalomorph spiders, a row of stiff spines on the chelicera.
2. In honey bees, a row of spines on the distal end of the tibia used to manipulate pollen.

Examples

“Mygalomorph spiders tend to be relatively long lived. The majority of these spiders live in burrows in the soil. Many of the burrowing forms have a patch of short stiff spines on their chelicerae called a rastellum that they use for digging.”

“The female has robust chelicerae with a rastellum. The fovea is a pit, not longitudinal as in Antrodiaetus.”

“The pollen detached by the rastellum falls on the surface of the auricle and adheres to it. Then by an upward flexion of the basitarsus on the tibia, the pollen on the auricle, held in place by the rastellum, is pressed up into the lower end of the tibial basket.”

“The pollen rake of the opposing hind leg scrapes the inner surface of each pollen comb, which results in the pollen being transferred from each pollen comb through the rastellum to the pollen press on the opposite leg.”

CEFR level