Pit Pattern
Definition
The arrangement of scale pits or ISO pores on reptile skin. Scale pit pattern is one of the primary characters in the CITES leather identification guide for distinguishing commercially traded species.
- Feature
- Arrangement of scale pits or ISO pores on reptile skin
- Use
- Species identification in CITES leather examinations
- Material examined
- Tanned or raw reptile leather products
- Reference standard
- CITES leather identification guide
Common questions
Why does pit pattern matter more once skin is tanned into leather?+
Tanning and dyeing can obscure scale shape and colour, but the pit arrangement is a structural feature of the skin surface that survives processing, so it remains usable for species identification when other visual cues are lost.
What else is examined alongside pit pattern to identify a leather species?+
Scale shape, size and arrangement, follicle patterns, and overall hide texture are compared together with pit pattern, since no single feature is reliable enough on its own across the range of commercially traded reptile species.
Related terms
- CITES Leather Guide
- A reference document maintained by the CITES Secretariat providing scale/pit patterns, macroscopic key characters, and species notes for major commercially traded reptile...
- Histological Cross-Section
- A 5-10 micrometre thin section cut perpendicular to the skin surface, stained and mounted for light microscopy. Reveals dermis architecture (collagen orientation,...
- Integumentary Sense Organ (ISO)
- Pressure and chemical sensory pits visible as small circular depressions on reptile scales. In crocodilians their distribution pattern distinguishes crocodiles from alligators...
- Lamellar Microstructure
- The layer-cake cross-section of pangolin scales visible under light microscopy, reflecting the keratinised plates that build up the scale. Distinguishes pangolin scales...
- Osteoderm
- Bone embedded within the skin dermis, characteristic of crocodilians and some lizards. Survives tanning and provides a species-group identification marker visible as...