telson

English

Illustration of an Atlantic white shrimp (Litopenaeus setiferus), with telson highlighted in orange

A mangrove horseshoe crab (Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda), with telson indicated by arrow no. 3

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek τέλσον (télson, “headland”).

Noun

telson (plural telsons)

1. (zoology) The part of an arthropod or crustacean posterior to the last segment, often resembling an armored tail or tip of the tail.
   • 1894, Charles Chilton, “The Subterranean Crustacea of New Zealand”, in Transactions of the Linnean Society of London, 2nd Series, Volume VI: Zoology, Linnean Society of London, page 219:

     Although Crangonya evidently comes very close to Niphargus, it appears to be a good genus, and to differ constantly from Niphargus in the more robust body and in the telson, which is always entire and never cleft as in Niphargus.

   • 1998, R. F. Chapman, The Insects: Structure and Function, 4th edition, Cambridge University Press, page 259:

     The basic number of segments in the abdomen is eleven plus the postsegmental telson which bears the anus, although Matsuda (1976) regards the telson as a twelfth segment.

   • 2022, Russell D. C. Bicknell et al., “Applying Records of Extant and Extinct Horseshoe Crab Abnormalities to Xiphosurid Conservation”, in John T. Tanacredi et al., editors, International Horseshoe Crab Conservation and Research Efforts: 2007-2020, Springer, page 88:

     The two documented examples of telson abnormalities are on juvenile moults (Fig. 2a, b).

Derived terms

• pretelson
• telsonic

Translations

part of an arthropod or crustacean posterior to the last segment

• French: telson (fr) m
• German: Telson n
• Italian: please add this translation if you can

Anagrams

• Elston, Leston, Letson, Noltes, Solent, Tolens, lentos, onlest, stolen

Finnish

Noun

telson

1. genitive singular of telso

French

Noun

telson m (plural telsons)

1. telson

Further reading

• “telson”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French telson.

Noun

telson n (plural telsoane)

1. telson

Declension

Declension of telson

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	telson	telsonul		telsoane	telsoanele
genitive-dative	telson	telsonului		telsoane	telsoanelor
vocative	telsonule			telsoanelor