Eponychium
Fingernail
Longitudinal section through nail and its nail groove (sulcus).
Gray's	subject #234 1067

In human anatomy, the eponychium [Greek epi (on, upon) + onychion (little claw)], also known as the cuticle, is the thickened layer of skin surrounding fingernails and toenails. Beneath the cuticle is a thin layer of a membrane known as the pterygium. The function is to protect the area between the nail and epidermis from exposure to harmful bacteria. The vascularization pattern is similar to that of perionychium.^[1]

Similarly, in hoofed animals, the eponychium is the deciduous hoof capsule in fetuses and newborn foals, and is a part of the permanent hoof in older animals.^[2]

References [link]

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