Lake Titicaca: …on floating mats of dried totora (a reedlike papyrus that grows in dense brakes in the marshy shallows). From the totora, the Uru and other lake dwellers make their famed balsas—boats fashioned of bundles of dried reeds lashed together that resemble the crescent-shaped papyrus craft pictured on ancient Egyptian monuments.

coleopteran: Annotated classification: Family Scirtidae, or Helodidae (marsh beetles) Small, oval; on vegetation in swampy places; aquatic larvae; about 600 species; widely distributed; example Scirtes. Superfamily Staphylinoidea Very large group; antennae with last 3 segments rarely club-shaped; outer skeleton rarely very hard, shiny; wing veins M (media) and Cu (cubitus) not connected;

coleopteran: Annotated classification: Superfamily Scirtoidea Antennae typically long and multisegmented; body sclerotized; contains some of the most primitive polyphagans. Family Clambidae (fringed-wing beetles) Small, hairy; in decaying plant material; about 30 species; worldwide distribution; sometimes placed in Staphylinoidea.

ether: Cleavage: Ethers are good solvents partly because they are not very reactive. Most ethers can be cleaved, however, by hydrobromic acid (HBr) to give alkyl bromides or by hydroiodic acid (HI) to give alkyl iodides.

nuclear fission: Structure and stability of nuclear matter: …at some point, S (the scission point), the nucleus breaks in two. Qualitatively, at least, the fission process is thus seen to be a consequence of the Coulomb repulsion between protons. Further discussion of the potential energy in fission is provided below.

nuclear fission: Nuclear models and nuclear fission: …the scission point (the so-called scission-point models of fission) is whether the system remains long enough at this point on the steep decline of the potential-energy surface for a quasi-equilibrium condition to be established. There is some evidence that such a condition may indeed prevail, but it is not clearly…

scissors, cutting instrument consisting of a pair of opposed metal blades that meet and cut when the handles at their ends are brought together. The term shears sometimes denotes large-size scissors. Modern instruments are of two types: the more usual pivoted blades have a rivet or screw connection

military bridge: …during World War II the scissors assault bridge was introduced; a folding bridge, consisting of a pair of solid-girder-supported deck sections, hinged at their juncture, was carried to the riverbank by a tank; opening out in an inverted V, it flattened into a level crossing. Modern refinements of basic types…

scissors chair, chair supported by two crossed and curved supports either at the sides or at the back and front. Because of its basic simplicity, it is one of the oldest forms of chair or stool, with examples reaching back to the 2nd millennium bc. The seat, which was originally made of leather or

Soviet Union: The NEP and the defeat of the Left: …in 1923 as the “scissors crisis,” from the shape of the graph of (comparatively) high industrial and low agricultural prices. The original “scissors crisis” was a short-lived phenomenon, owing mainly to the government’s setting prices of agricultural goods too low, and it disappeared when this was remedied. But the…

air warfare: Air superiority: The scissors maneuver acquired a vertical variation, in which two fighters would execute a series of climbing turns or barrel rolls, each with the aim of slipping behind the plane that climbed too fast. Speed—usually the greatest asset of the fighter—could easily become a liability, and…

Peter Abelard: Final years of Peter Abelard: …also wrote a book called Ethica or Scito te ipsum (“Know Thyself”), a short masterpiece in which he analyzed the notion of sin and reached the drastic conclusion that human actions do not make a man better or worse in the sight of God, for deeds are in themselves neither…

rodent: Evolution and classification: Suborder Sciuravida 1 extant family, 4 extinct families containing 51 genera. Early Eocene to present. Family Ctenodactylidae (gundis) 5 species in 4 genera, 16 extinct genera. Early Oligocene to Early Pliocene in Asia, Oligocene to Pleistocene in the Mediterranean, and Middle Miocene to present in Africa.…

squirrel, (family Sciuridae), generally, any of the 50 genera and 268 species of rodents whose common name is derived from the Greek skiouros, meaning “shade tail,” which describes one of the most conspicuous and recognizable features of these small mammals. These distinctive animals occupy a range

squirrel: General features: …squirrels are the smallest: the neotropical pygmy squirrel (Sciurillus pusillus) of the Amazon Basin weighs 33 to 45 grams (1 to 1.5 ounces), with a body 9 to 12 cm long and an equally long tail; but the African pygmy squirrel (Myosciurus pumilio) of the West African tropical forests is…

rodent: Evolution and classification: hazel, and fat dormice) Suborder Sciuromorpha (squirrel-like rodents) 3 extant (living) families, 7 extinct families containing 89 genera. The extinct families Alagomyidae and Ischyromyidae include the earliest-known fossil rodents. Family Sciuridae (squirrels) 272 species in 51 genera. 25 extinct genera.

squirrel: Natural history: …red squirrels (genus Tamiasciurus) and Sciurus species of temperate climates will stalk, kill, and eat other squirrels, mice, and adult birds and rabbits for food, but such predation in tropical tree squirrels seems rare.

squirrel: The North American gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) has adapted to urban and suburban areas where it is regarded as aesthetic or as a minor annoyance. In northern Europe the red squirrel (S. vulgaris) is valued for its soft, thick fur. Villagers in tropical forests keep squirrels…

squirrel: Natural history: Certain species, such as the red-tailed squirrel (S. granatensis) of the American tropics and the African pygmy squirrel, are active from ground to canopy. In the United States, the Eastern fox squirrel (S. niger) runs along the ground from tree to tree, but others, including the Eastern gray squirrel (S.…

squirrel: Natural history: … (Rubrisciurus rubriventer) and the northern Amazon red squirrel (Sciurus igniventris), nest at middle levels but travel and forage low in the understory or on the ground. The African palm squirrels (genus Epixerus) are long-legged runners that forage only on the ground. Certain species, such as the red-tailed squirrel (S. granatensis)…

squirrel: Natural history: In the United States, the Eastern fox squirrel (S. niger) runs along the ground from tree to tree, but others, including the Eastern gray squirrel (S. carolinensis), prefer to travel through the treetops and regularly cross rivers by swimming with the head up and tail flat on the water’s surface.…

squirrel: In northern Europe the red squirrel (S. vulgaris) is valued for its soft, thick fur. Villagers in tropical forests keep squirrels as pets. Most species are hunted for food.

Vittorio De Sica: …of the genre: Sciuscià (1946; Shoeshine), an account of the tragic lives of two children during the American occupation of Italy; Ladri di biciclette (1948; The Bicycle Thief), an Oscar winner for best foreign film; Miracolo a Milano (1951; Miracle in Milan), a comic parable about the clash of rich…

St. Hildegard: The finished work, Scivias (1141–52), consists of 26 visions that are prophetic and apocalyptic in form and in their treatment of such topics as the church, the relationship between God and humanity, and redemption. About 1147 Hildegard left Disibodenberg with several nuns to found a new convent at…

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: Types: …types of CJD: familial (fCJD), sporadic (sCJD), and acquired (aCJD). Both sCJD and aCJD may be further divided into subtypes. The most common sCJD subtype is sCJDMM1. Subtypes of aCJD include iatrogenic (iCJD) and variant (vCJD) forms of the disease (kuru is sometimes considered a third subtype of aCJD).

biogeographic region: History: …1858 by the English ornithologist Philip L. Sclater, who based his division of the terrestrial world on the distributions of birds. In the 1870s the biologist Adolf Engler devised a schema based on plant distributions. The phytogeographic work of Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker, a plant collector and systematist, and the…

Byzantine Empire: The last years of Justinian I: …menace Dyrrhachium; in 550 the Sclaveni, a Slavic people, reached a point about 40 miles (65 km) from Constantinople. The major invasion came in 559, when the Kutrigur Bulgars, accompanied by Sclaveni, crossed the Danube and divided their force into three columns. One column reached Thermopylae; the second gained a…

lung cancer: Small-cell lung cancer: Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), also called oat-cell carcinoma, is rarely found in people who have never smoked. It is characterized by cells that are small and round, oval, or shaped like oat grains. SCLC is the most aggressive type of lung cancer;…

Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), nonsectarian American agency with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, established by the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., and other civil rights activists in 1957 to coordinate and assist local organizations working for the full equality of African

human eye: The outermost coat: The sclera is essentially the continuation backward of the cornea, the collagen fibres of the cornea being, in effect, continuous with those of the sclera. The sclera is pierced by numerous nerves and blood vessels; the largest of these holes is that formed by the optic…

cnidarian: Size range and diversity of structure: …hydroids, hydrocorals, and soft and hard corals, however, proliferate asexually into colonies, which can attain much greater size and longevity than their component polyps. Certain tropical sea anemones (class Anthozoa) may be a metre in diameter, and some temperate ones are nearly that tall. Anthozoans are long-lived, both individually and…

pear: Physical description: …flesh, the so-called grit, or stone cells. In general, pear fruits are elongate, being narrow at the stem end and broader at the opposite end.

sclerenchyma, in plants, support tissue composed of any of various kinds of hard woody cells. Mature sclerenchyma cells are usually dead cells that have heavily thickened secondary walls containing lignin. The cells are rigid and nonstretchable and are usually found in nongrowing regions of plant

sclerenchyma: Mature sclerenchyma cells are usually dead cells that have heavily thickened secondary walls containing lignin. The cells are rigid and nonstretchable and are usually found in nongrowing regions of plant bodies, such as the bark or mature stems. Sclerenchyma is one of the three types of…

Cyperaceae: Evolution and classification: The subfamily Sclerioideae has about 14 genera and 300 species; its flowers also are unisexual, but its fruit is not enveloped by a similar bract. The smallest subfamily, the Mapanioideae, has about 170 species in 14 genera. The highly reduced, unisexual flowers are grouped together tightly in…

skeleton: Crystals: …segment is a so-called tergal sclerite of calcified or sclerotized cuticle, usually a ventral (lower) sternite and often lateral pleurites—i.e., side plates. There may be much fusion of sclerites on the same segment. Sometimes fusion occurs between dorsal sclerites of successive segments, to form rigid plates. Leg sclerotizations are usually…

scleritis, inflammation of the sclera, the white part of the eye. The inflammation is immune-mediated and is commonly associated with underlying systemic infections, such as shingles (herpes zoster), syphilis, and tuberculosis, or with autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic

barrel cactus: The 19 species of Sclerocactus, which are sometimes called little barrels, have at least one hooked central spine. (All cacti with such curved spines may be called fishhook cacti, including some species of Ferocactus.) The flowers are mainly pink, yellow, and cream. The Mojave fishhook cactus (S. polyancistrus) is…

barrel cactus: Almost as large is the small-flowered fishhook cactus (S. parviflorus) native to the Colorado Plateau. The remaining species of small cacti grow in widely scattered colonies.

barrel cactus: The Mojave fishhook cactus (S. polyancistrus) is a cylindroid cactus up to 40 cm (16 inches) in height and 13 cm (5.1 inches) in diameter and has showy red and white spines and large flowers. Almost as large is the small-flowered fishhook cactus (S. parviflorus) native…

veld: Plant life: …characteristic trees are acacia and marula, the latter bearing an intoxicating plumlike fruit. The open ground is dominated by red grass. In the lower areas, such as the Sabi and Limpopo river valleys, tufted finger grasses, euphorbias, and other succulents replace red grass; the acacias increase in number; and the…

connective tissue disease: Scleroderma: …restricted to the fingers (sclerodactyly) and face but often spread. Although there may be spontaneous improvement in the condition of the skin, those persons with more diffuse scleroderma tend to lose the ability to straighten their fingers. The disease may remain confined to the skin for many months or…

scleroderma, a chronic disease of the skin that also can affect the blood vessels and various internal organs. Scleroderma is characterized by excessive deposition of collagen—the principal supportive protein of the connective tissues—in affected areas. There are two main types of scleroderma: a

Lycoperdaceae: …of puffballs and earthstars, the Sclerodermataceae, is placed within the order Boletales. Individuals of these species, found in soil and rotting wood, form puffball-like fruiting bodies with a hard outer wall and a dark-coloured interior when mature.

tetraodontiform: Annotated classification: Suborder Balistoidei Frontals extending far anterior to the articulation between lateral ethmoid and ethmoid. 3 superfamilies with 4 families, 61 genera, 182 species. Superfamily Triacanthoidea 1 family. Family Triacanthidae (triple spines) Shallow-water

beard worm: Form and function: …the very thin tubes of Sclerolinum, however, pierce pieces of sunken wood. The tube, secreted by special glands, contains a hard substance called chitin. Although the animals never leave their tubes, they are able to move inside them.

sclerophyll, type of vegetation characterized by hard, leathery, evergreen foliage that is specially adapted to prevent moisture loss. Broad-leaved sclerophyll vegetation, including species such as holly (Ilex), is known as Mediterranean vegetation (q.v.) because it is characteristic of regions

temperate forest: Flora: …that were occupied by temperate sclerophyllous forests before the effects of human manipulation of the environment were felt. These areas extend as a narrow ring around the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea. Typical evergreen trees are oaks (several species including the cork oak, Quercus suber) and the pistachio relative Pistacia…

scleroprotein, any of several fibrous proteins of cells and tissues once thought to be insoluble but now known to be dissolved by dilute solutions of acids such as citric and acetic. The two most important classes of scleroproteins are the collagens and the keratins. Others include fibroin, which

downy mildew: …members of the oomycete genus Sclerospora, but other pathogens include species of Bremia, Peronospora, Phytophthora, Plasmopara, and Pseudoperonospora.

fungus: Annotated classification: Order Sclerosporales Parasitic on plants, causing root rot; can survive in soil for long periods of time; thick-walled oogonia; may lack haustoria; example genera include Sclerospora and Verrucalvus. Order Anisolpidiales Found in marine environments, parasitic; example genus is Anisolpidium. Order

sclerotin, a dark-brown biological pigment formed by an enzyme-catalyzed tanning of protein. Sclerotin is found in the cuticle (external covering) and egg cases of insects, the body shell (carapace) of certain crustaceans, and the bristles of terrestrial and marine worms. Sclerotin not only darkens

sclerotium, a persistent, vegetative, resting spore of certain fungi (e.g., Botrytis, Sclerotium). It consists of a hard, dense, compact mycelium (mass of filaments that make up the body of a typical fungus) that varies in form and has a dark-coloured covering. Size varies from a few cells to many;

skeleton: Crystals: …cuticle of arthropods either by sclerotization or tanning, a process involving dehydration (as in crustaceans and insects), by calcification (as in millipedes), or by both, as in many crabs. In most arthropods the body and legs are clearly segmented. On the dorsal (upper) side of each segment is a so-called…

animal development: The body muscles and axial skeleton: …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…

shooting: Great Britain: …English on target rifle shooting, Scloppetaria; or, Considerations on the Nature and Use of Rifled Barrell Guns…by a Corporal of Riflemen (pseudonym of Capt. Henry Beaufoy), was published in 1808.

information system: Operational support and enterprise systems: A supply chain management (SCM) system manages the flow of products, data, money, and information throughout the entire supply chain, which starts with the suppliers of raw materials, runs through the intermediate tiers of the processing companies, and ends with the distributors and retailers. For example,…

psychology: Social cognitive neuroscience: The advances described above led to the development in the early years of the 21st century of a new, highly popular field: social cognitive neuroscience (SCN). This interdisciplinary field asks questions about topics traditionally of interest to social psychologists, such as person…

myotonia: …skeletal muscle sodium channel gene SCN4A (sodium channel, voltage-gated, type IV, alpha subunit) is associated with potassium-aggravated myotonia, acetazolamide-responsive myotonia, and paramyotonia congenita. Mutations in the SCN4A gene impede the passage of sodium ions through the cell membrane, inhibiting proper muscle function.

South Korea: The 1961 coup: …under martial law, and the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction (SCNR), headed by Park, took the reins of government and began instituting a series of reforms.

somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), technique in which the nucleus of a somatic (body) cell is transferred to the cytoplasm of an enucleated egg (an egg that has had its own nucleus removed). Once inside the egg, the somatic nucleus is reprogrammed by egg cytoplasmic factors to become a zygote

Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), is an intergovernmental organization established in 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan with the aim of promoting cooperation and peace among its member states, as well as fostering “a new democratic, fair and rational

open source: Hacker culture: …to run UNIX—in fact, the SCO Group released the first version of UNIX to run on the 386 that year. Some programmers who had been key players in the development of the BSD variant of UNIX founded a project called 386BSD to port that variant to PCs. The Free Software…

Scorpius X-1, (catalog number Sco X-1), brightest X-ray source in the sky, the first such object discovered in the direction of the constellation Scorpius. Detected in 1962, its X-radiation is not only strong but, like other X-ray sources, quite variable as well. Its variability exhibits two

Challenger disaster: …of the crew were commander Francis (Dick) Scobee, pilot Michael Smith, mission specialists Ellison Onizuka, Judith Resnik, and Ronald McNair, and Hughes Aircraft engineer Gregory Jarvis.

Challenger disaster: …of the crew were commander Francis (Dick) Scobee, pilot Michael Smith, mission specialists Ellison Onizuka, Judith Resnik, and Ronald McNair, and Hughes Aircraft engineer Gregory Jarvis.

branch and twig borer: The lead-cable borer, or short-circuit beetle (Scobicia declivis), bores into the lead covering of older telephone cables. Moisture entering through the hole can cause short circuits. This beetle lives in oak, maple, or other trees and does not feed on the cable sheathing.

kombucha: A gelatinous mat of symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY) is then added, and the brew is covered with a tight-weave fabric or paper coffee filter and left to ferment at room temperature for 7–30 days.

Shkodër, town, northwestern Albania. It lies at the southeast end of Lake Scutari, at a point where the Buenë (Serbian and Croatian: Bojana) River, one of Albania’s two navigable streams, flows out of the lake toward the Adriatic Sea. The city is situated at the edge of a wide plain surrounded by

Paul Scofield was an English actor noted for his powerful performances in Shakespearean and other stage roles. Scofield was trained as an actor at the Croydon Repertory Theatre School (1939) and at the Mask Theatre School (1940) in London. After touring with companies entertaining the troops during

Paul Scofield was an English actor noted for his powerful performances in Shakespearean and other stage roles. Scofield was trained as an actor at the Croydon Repertory Theatre School (1939) and at the Mask Theatre School (1940) in London. After touring with companies entertaining the troops during

media convergence: Transmedia storytelling: Rather, as Spanish media scholar Carlos Scolari has observed, transmedia storytelling “is a particular narrative structure that expands through both different languages (verbal, iconic, etc.) and media (cinema, comics, television, video games, etc.).” While transmedia storytelling can be a source of brand extension for media corporations, and hence further revenues…

Clement III was the pope from 1187 to 1191. He was cardinal bishop of Palestrina when elected pope on Dec. 19, 1187. In October 1187 Jerusalem fell to Saladin, the leader of the Muslim armies, and Clement called the Western princes to undertake the Third Crusade, the results of which were

scolecite, mineral closely related to natrolite (q.v.), a member of the zeolite

Gymnophiona: Annotated classification: Family Scolecomorphidae Jurassic (200–145.5 million years ago) to present; tail absent; mouth recessed; premaxillae not fused with nasals; prefrontals present; squamosal not articulating with frontal; no aquatic larval stage; adult stage without stapes and fenestrae ovales in the ear; 2 genera, 6 species; adult size 40–45…

blind snake, (superfamily Typhlopoidea), any of several nonvenomous snakes characterized by degenerate eyes that lie beneath opaque head scales. Blind snakes belong to the families Anomalepidae, Leptotyphlopidae, and Typhlopidae in superfamily Typhlopoidea. Since these three families are the only

flatworm: Cestoda: …regenerate from the head (scolex) and neck region. This property often makes it difficult to treat people for tapeworm infections; treatment may eliminate only the body, or strobila, leaving the scolex still attached to the intestinal wall of the host and thus capable of producing a new strobila, which…

hymenopteran: Annotated classification: Family Scoliidae (scoliid wasps) Large, hairy, black wasps often with a yellow band or bands on abdomen; parasites of scarab-beetle larvae. Superfamily Tiphioidea Hairy wasps with a well-developed sting; females of some species are wingless. Family Tiphiidae (tiphiid wasps) Medium-sized, black, hairy

hymenopteran: Annotated classification: Family Scoliidae (scoliid wasps) Large, hairy, black wasps often with a yellow band or bands on abdomen; parasites of scarab-beetle larvae. Superfamily Tiphioidea Hairy wasps with a well-developed sting; females of some species are wingless. Family Tiphiidae (tiphiid wasps) Medium-sized, black, hairy

scoliosis, lateral deviation of the spine. Scoliosis is a type of curvature of the

Shchyolkovo, city and centre of a rayon (sector), Moscow oblast (region), western Russia. It lies along the Klyazma River a few miles northeast of Moscow. Shchyolkovo was renowned from the 18th century as a centre of handicraft silk weaving, and today it remains a centre of various textile

charadriiform: Annotated classification: Family Scolopacidae (snipe, woodcock, sandpipers, turnstones, and allies) Small to medium-sized birds, mostly finely patterned in buff, browns, chestnut, black, gray, and white. Bill moderate to

woodcock, any of five species of squat-bodied, long-billed birds of damp, dense woodlands, allied to the snipes in the waterbird family Scolopacidae (order Charadriiformes). The woodcock is a startling game bird: crouched among dead leaves, well camouflaged by its buffy-brown, mottled plumage, a

woodcock: The female American woodcock (Scolopax, or Philohela, minor) is about 28 cm (11 inches) long, including the bill. Her mate is slightly smaller. The wings are very rounded, and the outermost wing feathers are attenuated to produce vibratory sounds during flight, apparently at will. The male’s aerial…

woodcock: The Eurasian woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) breeds in the temperate Old World from Great Britain to Japan; occasional migrants wander to the eastern United States. Its colouring differs from that of the American woodcock in that the pale underparts of the European species are barred with brown.…

centipede: …contains the largest centipedes, with Scolopendra gigantea of the American tropics reaching a length of 280 mm (11 inches). These forms are capable of inflicting severe bites. Scolopendrids, as well as the geophilids, have relatively slow and sinuous movements.

centipede: The order Scolopendrida, or Scolopendromorpha, of the tropics contains the largest centipedes, with Scolopendra gigantea of the American tropics reaching a length of 280 mm (11 inches). These forms are capable of inflicting severe bites. Scolopendrids, as well as the geophilids, have relatively slow and sinuous movements.

centipede: The order Scolopendrida, or Scolopendromorpha, of the tropics contains the largest centipedes, with Scolopendra gigantea of the American tropics reaching a length of 280 mm (11 inches). These forms are capable of inflicting severe bites. Scolopendrids, as well as the geophilids, have relatively slow and sinuous movements.

centipede: The order Scolopendrida, or Scolopendromorpha, of the tropics contains the largest centipedes, with Scolopendra gigantea of the American tropics reaching a length of 280 mm (11 inches). These forms are capable of inflicting severe bites. Scolopendrids, as well as the geophilids, have relatively slow and sinuous movements.

sound reception: Antennae and antennal organs: …of sensory units known as scolophores. These structures, found in many places in the bodies of insects, commonly occur across joints or body segments, where they probably serve as mechanoreceptors for movement. When the scolophores are associated with any structure that is set in motion by sound, however, the arrangement…

ostariophysan: Annotated classification: Family Scoloplacidae (spiny dwarf catfishes) Body with 2 bilateral series of teethlike-bearing plates, 1 midventral series of plates. Maximum length about 20 mm (less than 1 inch). South America. 1 genus, 4 species. Family Astroblepidae (climbing catfishes) Mouth and fins modified for adhesion to rocks in mountain…

annelid: Annotated classification: …40 cm; examples of genera: Scoloplos, Paraonis. Order Spionida Sedentary; at least 2 long feeding tentacles adapted for grasping and arising from prostomium; size, 0.5 to 25 cm; examples of genera: Spio, Polydora. Order Chaetopterida

homopteran: Polymorphism: Species of Scolops have a long, slender, anterior projection of the head that resembles a beak or snout, with the true mouth structures beneath the head. In the genus Apache the head is flattened laterally and projects as a vertical thin leaflike structure, while in Cyrpoptus the…

bark beetle, any of more than 2,000 species of bark beetles classified in the subfamily Scolytinae (along with certain ambrosia beetles; order Coleoptera) that exist worldwide and are cylindrical, usually less than 6 mm (0.25 inch) long, brown or black in colour, and often very destructive. The

Dutch elm disease: …fungus normally occurs by the smaller European elm bark beetle (Scolytus multistriatus), less commonly by the American elm bark beetle (Hylurgopinus rufipes). Female beetles seek out dead or weakened elm wood to excavate an egg-laying gallery between the bark and the wood. If the fungus is present, tremendous numbers of…

mackerel: …to this species is the chub mackerel (S. colias; once separated into Atlantic and Pacific species). They are more finely marked than the common mackerel; the chub mackerel that is found in the Pacific Ocean is bright green with vertical stripes. It has an air bladder but is otherwise similar…

mackerel: The common mackerel (Scomber scombrus) of the Atlantic Ocean is an abundant and economically important species that is sometimes found in huge schools. It averages about 30 cm (12 inches) in length and is blue-green above and silver-white below, with a series of wavy, dark, vertical…

saury, any of four species of long, slim marine fishes of the family Scomberesocidae (order Atheriniformes). Sauries are small—up to about 35 cm (14 inches) long—and are characterized by beaklike but weakly toothed jaws and a row of small finlets behind the dorsal and anal fins. Found in tropical

saury: …saury (Cololabis saira) and the Atlantic saury (Scomberesox saurus), found in the Atlantic and the seas near Australia.

mackerel: …species, among them: the barred Spanish mackerel (S. commerson), an Indo-Pacific fish said to weigh up to 45 kg (100 pounds); the king mackerel, or kingfish (S. cavalla), a western Atlantic fish about 170 cm long and weighing 36 kg or more; and the cero, or painted mackerel (S. regalis),…