A person who studies or specializes in elaters, the spring-like structures in fern spore cases, or alternatively, one who studies elaterin compounds.
From 'elater' plus the agent suffix '-ist' meaning 'one who practices or specializes in.' The term could reference either botanical experts studying springtail-like mechanisms or chemists working with elaterin.
The word is genuinely rare, which makes it a perfect example of how English creates specialist vocabulary—by the time you're specialized enough to call yourself an 'elaterist,' you're already deep in a very niche field of science.
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