An
elytron (from ; plural:
elytra) is a modified, hardened
forewing of certain
insect orders, notably
beetles (Coleoptera) and a few of the true bugs (
Heteroptera); in most true bugs, the forewings are instead called
hemelytra (sometimes misspelled as "hemielytra"), as only the basal half is thickened while the apex is membranous. An elytron is sometimes also referred to as a
shard.