Schisophagy
- Pronunciation
- /ski-SOFF-uh-jee/
- Category
- Behavior
- Singular
- Schisophagy
- Plural
- Schisophagies
Definition
The behavior of consuming food by splitting it apart, commonly observed in certain insects and arachnids.
Etymology
From Greek 'schizo-', meaning 'to split', and 'phagy', meaning 'eating'.
Example
Some beetles exhibit schisophagy when they use their mandibles to split open seeds or other food sources.
Synonyms
- Split-feeding
Related Terms
- Mandibles
- Feeding behavior
- Ingestion
Usage Notes
Schisophagy is particularly common among insects that need to access the inner parts of their food, such as seeds or plant stems.