Raphe

Raphe (/ˈreɪfɪ/; from Greek ῥαφή, "seam") has several different meanings in science.

In botany and planktology it is commonly used when describing a seam or ridge on diatoms or seeds.

In animal anatomy it is used to describe a ridged union of continuous biological tissue. There are several different significant anatomical raphes:

In teratology, a malformation or congenital disorder involving a raphe, such as spina bifida, is known as a dysraphism.