Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
aplacophoran

aplacophoran

9.9
A small soft sea animal like a worm with no shell and tiny spines on its skin
  • noun
  • /ˌeɪpləˈkɒfərən/
  • Specialized
: aplasoforo
  • Scientists discovered a new species of aplacophoran during the deep-sea expedition.

Examples

  • The body of an aplacophoran is covered with tiny, spiky spicules instead of calcareous plates.

  • Unlike most mollusks, the aplacophoran does not have a hard external shell.

  • The aplacophoran is an unusual type of mollusk.

  • Did you know that aplacophorans live in deep-sea environments?

  • Scientists discovered a new species of aplacophoran during the deep-sea expedition.

  • The body of an aplacophoran is covered with tiny, spiky spicules instead of calcareous plates.

  • Unlike most mollusks, the aplacophoran does not have a hard external shell.

Synonyms

mollusk
vsaplacophoran
  • US
11 5.6

A soft-bodied animal like a snail or clam that often has a shell

refers to a specific deep-water wormlike form lacking shell plates and bearing spicules
solenogaster
vsaplacophoran
  • Specialized
9.9

A small, wormlike sea animal that lives on the deep ocean floor with no shell and a soft spiny body

is the same creature but described without noting its small size

Surface Forms

applacophoran singular
applacophorans plural

Morphology

aplacophoran = aplacophora (opaque) = a + placo + phora + an

The immediate base is a taxonomic name formed from Greek combining forms unfamiliar to typical learners, so its meaning is not derivable without specialized biological knowledge.

Etymology

Aplacophoran breaks into the parts a- 'without', placo- 'plate' and -phoran 'carrying', so the name literally means 'without plates'. That's why an aplacophoran is a soft, worm-like sea mollusk with no hard plates or shell, only a skin covered in tiny, spiky bits.