scutellum

noun, plural scu·tel·la [skyoo-tel–uh] /skyuˈtɛl ə/.

1. Botany. the shieldlike cotyledon of certain monocots.
2. Zoology. a small plate, scutum, or other shieldlike part, as on the thorax of insects or the feet of birds.

noun plural -la (-lə) biology

1. the last of three plates into which the notum of an insect’s thorax is divided
2. one of the scales on the tarsus of a bird’s leg
3. an outgrowth from a germinating grass seed that probably represents the cotyledon
4. any other small shield-shaped part or structure

Plural scutella

1. A shieldlike bony plate or scale, as on the thorax of some insects.
2. The large, shield-shaped cotyledon of the embryo of a grass plant, specialized for the absorption of food from the endosperm.