ostium
From ZooTerms (Dictionary of Invertebrate Zoology)
Revision as of 23:41, 13 September 2013 by Andreas Plank (Talk | contribs) (1 revision: import_noun-simple)
ostium (noun; plural ostia; Latin ostium, door): 1. Any opening to a passage, usually associated with a valve or circular muscle.
2. (Arthropoda) The paired slitlike openings in the heart.
3. (Arthropoda: Insecta) In male Lepidoptera, the opening or area through which the internal pouch is everted during copulation.
4. (Mollusca: Bivalvia) One of many tiny holes in the gill walls allowing currents of water through the gills.
5. (Porifera) Pore openings entering the interior cavity (the spongocoel or atrium) of sponges; incurrent pores; inhalent pores.
