Definition of "tectum" [tectum]

• A rooflike structure of the body, especially the dorsal part of the midbrain. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Before about 1970, most studies involved non-mammals-fish, frogs, birds-that is, species in which the tectum is the dominant structure that receives input from the eyes."
• "The tectum is a layered structure, with a number of layers that varies by species."
• "Reptiles include water snakes, Indian python Python molurus (V), banded krait Bungarus fasciatus, green rat snake Zaocys nigromarginatus, turtles (Lissemys punctatus, Trionyx gangeticus, Kachuga tectum and Hardella thurgi) and monitor lizard Varanus sp."