A
sclerite (
Greek , , meaning "
hard") is a hardened body part. In various branches of biology the term is applied to various structures, but not as a rule to vertebrate anatomical features such as bones and teeth. Instead it refers most commonly to the hardened parts of
arthropod exoskeletons and the internal s of invertebrates such as certain
sponges and
soft corals. The term
scleritome, used often in
paleontology, refers to the complete set of sclerites of an organism, often all that is known from fossil invertebrates.
