Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🦟 A surface parasite 🦠 Living on animals
ectozoan

ectozoan

9.9
Living on the outside of an animal, for example on skin or scales
  • adjective
  • /ˌɛktoʊˈzoʊən/
  • Specialized
translation icon : ectozoario
  • Some parasites are strictly ectozoan and never invade the host's internal tissues.

Examples

  • The fish was infested with ectozoan creatures clinging to its scales.

  • Researchers identified several ectozoan species living on the whale's skin.

  • The ectozoan parasites can cause significant harm to their hosts.

  • Many ectozoan species thrive in marine environments.

  • Researchers identified several ectozoan species living on the whale's skin.

  • The fish was infested with ectozoan creatures clinging to its scales.

  • Many ectozoan organisms are found on the skin of larger mammals.

Synonyms

epizoan
vsectozoan
  • Specialized
9.9

Living on the outside of another animal

includes being characteristic, not only referring to actual organisms
epizoic
vsectozoan
  • Specialized
9.9

A living thing on the outside of an animal that often acts as a parasite

does not imply parasitism and can be neutral

Surface Forms

ectozoan positive

Morphology

ectozoan = zoan (semi-transparent) = ecto + zoan

The adjective is formed by prefixing 'ecto-' to the combining form '-zoan'; the composition is predictable but relies on technical combining forms not familiar to all learners.

Etymology

Ectozoan as an adjective uses the same parts: ecto- 'outside' and -zoan 'animal' (think zoo). So it describes animals or species that live on an animal's outer surface, for example fleas clinging to the skin.