Relating to or characteristic of the endostracum, the inner layer of a shell or hard outer covering.
From endo- (Greek 'within') + stracal (from Latin straca, relating to spreading or covering). The term emerged in 19th-century malacology to describe shell anatomy.
Shells have layers like lasagna! The endostracal layer is the secret interior architecture that mollusks create, and studying these layers tells us how old the shell is and how quickly it grew.
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