Frassaceous

Frassaceous is an adjective used in entomology, paleontology, and related fields to describe materials, surfaces, or textures that are composed of or resemble insect frass—the pellets of excrement produced by larvae and other invertebrates. The word is formed from frass and the suffix -aceous, which denotes a resemblance to the original material.

In practical use, frassaceous material can appear as a powdery or pellet-like coating on leaves, bark, or wood where insect feeding has produced frass, or as a deposit in fossil or subfossil contexts where frass accumulates as detrital matter. It can also describe textures in preserving matrices such as amber or other substrates that include disaggregated frass particles.

The term is descriptive rather than taxonomic; its precise interpretation depends on context. A report might note frassaceous residues to infer the activity of particular insect groups, the extent of feeding damage, or the interaction between insects and plant material. Frassaceous remains can aid in reconstructing paleoenvironments by indicating insect-plant interactions and the intensity of infestation.

Etymology: derived from the noun frass, the insect feces, with the Latin-derived suffix -aceous. The term remains primarily a descriptive descriptor used when frass-like material is a notable component of a sample or observation.