nuchal

1. (medicine, colloquial) Ellipsis of nuchal translucency scan.abbreviationalt-ofcolloquialellipsis

2. (zoology) A neck scale, especially of a lizard.Examples: "Dunn gives a key to a part of this group of Eumeces, based upon the number of nuchals, placing the two American species (he does not consider Eumeces altamirani Dugès) in a group having 14-17 pairs of nuchals;[…]."; "Growth patterns of clavicles, cleithra, opercles, medial nuchals, dorsal scutes, and pectoral fin ray sections have been compared in white sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus."; "Scales are weakly differentiated, with head scales flat and smooth, nuchals small and smooth, dorsal scales small and keeled, and tail scales larger ventrally than laterally, without wings."