Sulcus (morphology)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Gingival sulcus at neck of mammalian tooth
Pollen grains of Cercis are sulcate, with reticulate surface.
Rotating image of human brain, illustrating the lateral sulcus in the brain.

In biological morphology and anatomy, a sulcus (pl.: sulci) is a furrow or fissure (Latin fissura, pl.: fissurae). It may be a groove, natural division, deep furrow, elongated cleft, or tear in the surface of a limb or an organ, most notably on the surface of the brain, but also in the lungs, certain muscles (including the heart), as well as in bones, and elsewhere. Many sulci are the product of a surface fold or junction, such as in the gums, where they fold around the neck of the tooth.

In invertebrate zoology, a sulcus is a fold, groove, or boundary, especially at the edges of sclerites or between segments.

In pollen, a grain that is grooved by a sulcus is termed sulcate.

Examples in anatomy

Liver

Lung

Skull

Other types

In neuroanatomy

Brain

In the brain, a sulcus is a groove formed in the stage of gyrification by the folding of the cortex. There are many sulci and gyri formed. A larger than usual sulcus may instead be called a fissure such as the longitudinal fissure that separates the two hemispheres.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Tympanic sulcus". The Free Dictionary. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  2. ^ Larkins, Christine E., and Martin J. Cohn. "Phallus development in the turtle Trachemys scripta." Sexual Development 9.1 (2015): 34-42.