veliger

1 9.9

A young free-swimming stage of snails and clams with a band of tiny hairs

noun
/ˈvɛlɪdʒər/

Specialized

: velígero

After several weeks, the veliger larvae settle down and begin their transformation into adult forms.

Examples

The larva at the right is a veliger of the gastropod Crepidula fornicata (slipper shell snail).

Academic text (1998)
Gastropod veligers are typically 250-750 µm in shell length.

Academic text (1998)
In contrast, more ephemeral aggregations were characterized by low or inconsistent veliger densities (particularly late-stage larvae) and were generally outside primary tidal current pathways.

Academic text (1997)
The veliger stage allows mollusk larvae to swim freely and disperse in their aquatic environment.
In the ocean, veligers use their ciliated velum to swim and feed on plankton.

Surface Forms

veliger singular

veligers plural

Morphology

veliger = velum (opaque) = velum + ger

Formed from specialized Latin combining elements ('velum' + '-ger') used in scientific nomenclature, which is not transparent to average learners.

Etymology

Veliger comes from Latin parts velum ('sail' or 'veil') and -ger ('to carry' or 'to bear'), so it means 'sail-bearer'. A veliger larva has a small velum, a fan of tiny hairs that acts like a little sail to help it swim, so the name fits its free-swimming stage.