triaene spicules (normally calthrops) having one to four rays affected by multiple, sometimes complex branching (lophate spicules). Particularly common in the family Plakinidae. Depending of the number of rays affected they called monoloph (one ray lophate), diloph (two), triloph (three) and quadriloph (four).

Alternative forms for lophotriaene : lophocalthropes, lophocalthrops, lophocalthropses, lophotriaenes.