postlarva

9.1

A young shrimp or fish that has just left the larva stage and is not yet fully grown

noun
/ˌpoʊstˈlɑrvə/

Specialized

: postlarva

After hatching, the fish enters the postlarva stage before becoming a juvenile.

Examples

The postlarva of the shrimp is especially sensitive to changes in water temperature.
Scientists studied the growth rate of each postlarva in the laboratory tanks.
The postlarva of the shrimp is very small.
Many fish species rely on postlarvae for survival.
The postlarva of the fish is extremely vulnerable to predators during its early development.
Researchers observed that the postlarva of the amphibian shows significant behavioral changes.
After the larvae metamorphose, the newly formed postlarva begins to swim freely in the water.

Synonyms

preadult

vspostlarva

Specialized

1 7.2

An animal or insect that is not fully grown

is narrower referring to aquatic individuals that have passed a larval stage

postlarval

vspostlarva

Specialized

8.7

A young animal that has just finished being a larva

is identical in meaning but used as the noun rather than adjective form

How Mature

adult

103 1.0

juvenile

176 4.2

postlarva

Specialized

9.1

larva

Specialized

16 5.1

embryo

Specialized

94 4.0

Surface Forms

postlarva singular

postlarvae plural

Morphology

postlarva = larva (transparent) = post + larva + post

Formed by the productive prefix 'post-' meaning 'after' attached to 'larva', yielding the stage after the larval stage.

Etymology

Postlarva comes from the prefix post- meaning 'after' and larva, the young stage many animals have. So a postlarva is the animal just 'after' the larva but 'not yet fully grown'.