Operculum

An operculum is a small covering or lid, and is widely used in descriptions of the animal and plant world.

Operculum may refer to:

• Operculum (animal), a stiff structure resembling a lid or a small door that opens and closes
  • Operculum (gastropod), a lid on the shell of some gastropods
  • Operculum (bryozoa), a lid on the orifice of some bryozoans
  • Operculum (fish), a flap of the bony fish covering the gills
  • Operculum (bird), a structure which covers the nares of some birds
• Operculum (botany), various lids and flaps pertaining to plants, algae and fungi
• Operculum (brain), a part of the human brain
• Operculum (dentistry), a small flap of tissue which may cover an erupting or partially erupted molar
• Operculum (pregnancy), the cervical mucus plug that blocks the cervix of the uterus after conception

See also

• Dehiscence (botany), the opening of a plant structure, such as a fruit, anther, or sporangium, to release its contents. This sometimes involves an operculum.