page_title: Elytron
hierarchical_section_title: Elytron
context_page_description: An elytron is a modified, hardened forewing of certain insect orders, notably beetles and a few of the true bugs such as the family Schizopteridae; in most true bugs, the forewings are instead called hemelytra, as only the basal half is thickened while the apex is membranous. An elytron is sometimes also referred to as a shard.
context_section_description: An elytron (/ˈɛlaɪtrɒn/; from Greek ἔλυτρον "sheath, cover"; plural: elytra /-trə/) is a modified, hardened forewing of certain insect orders, notably beetles (Coleoptera) and a few of the true bugs (Hemiptera) such as the family Schizopteridae; in most true bugs, the forewings are instead called hemelytra (sometimes alternatively spelled as "hemielytra"), as only the basal half is thickened while the apex is membranous. An elytron is sometimes also referred to as a shard.
caption: Parts of the hemelytra of a typical bug