…of the somite, called the sclerotome, breaks up into mesenchyme, which contributes to the axial skeleton of the embryo—that is, the vertebral column, ribs, and much of the skull. The parietal layer of the somite, at a later stage, is converted into mesenchyme that, together with components of the neural…

…a medial ventral mass, the sclerotome. The sclerotomic cells from each pair of somites migrate until they enclose the notochord, separating it from the neural tube dorsally and from the aorta (the principal blood vessel) ventrally. The sclerotomic tissue retains its original segmentation and condenses to form the forerunner, or…

…of the somites arise the sclerotome, forerunner of the bodies and neural arches of the vertebrae; the dermatome, precursor of the connective tissue of the skin; and the myotome, or primitive muscle, from which the major muscles of vertebrates are derived. The term somite is also used more generally to…