Scale microstructure
Definition
The internal and surface architecture of a pangolin scale visible under light microscopy or scanning electron microscopy, including ridge pattern, cross-section shape, and cortex-to-core ratio, which varies between species.
Related terms
- DNA barcoding
- Identification of an unknown plant fragment by sequencing short standard genome regions (rbcL and matK for plants, ITS for fungi). Routinely used...
- Keratin
- The structural protein that forms pangolin scales, human fingernails, and bird feathers. In scales it is arranged in a layered matrix whose...
- LC-MS (liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry)
- An analytical workflow in which proteins or peptides are separated by chromatography and then identified by their mass-to-charge ratios. Used for pangolin...
- Minimum number of individuals (MNI)
- The smallest number of distinct individuals required to account for all skeletal elements present in an assemblage. Determined by identifying the element...
- TRAFFIC pangolin seizure database
- A compiled database of documented pangolin trade seizures maintained by TRAFFIC (the wildlife trade monitoring network), used to establish trade routes, source...
Explained in
- Pangolin Scale ForensicsThe internal and surface architecture of a pangolin scale visible under light microscopy or scanning electron microscopy, including ridge pattern, cross-sectio...