[TA] small, spade-shaped bone in the ends of the fingers underlying the nail bed, each of which bears a tuberosity on its distal palmar aspect from which connective tissue strands (skin ligaments) radiate through the pulp; the bases of the phalanges of the medial four fingers articulate proximally with the heads of middle phalanges; that of the thumb articulates with a proximal phalanx. SYN: phalanx distalis manus [TA].