sternite

noun

ster·​nite ˈstər-ˌnīt 

: the ventral part or shield of a somite of an arthropod

especially : the chitinous plate that forms the ventral surface of an abdominal or occasionally a thoracic segment of an insect

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary, from Greek sternon chest

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined above