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crustacean

crustacean

15 5.3
An animal with a hard outer shell, such as a crab or lobster
  • noun
  • /krəˈsteɪʃən/
  • Specialized
translation icon : crustáceo
  • The aquarium showcases a diverse collection of crustaceans, including lobsters and crayfish.
  • crustaceans, mollusks
  • Fish and crustaceans
  • crustacean amphipods

We are working on crustaceans, things like lobster.

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Examples

  • Daphnia, those are a freshwater crustacean that eat algae, yeast and bacteria and then get eaten by fish.

  • For most of the year, the Gulf of Mexico is teeming with marine life, from tiny crustaceans to massive baleen whales.

  • We are working on crustaceans, things like lobster.

  • Shrimp are crustaceans.

  • Examples of animals in this group are crustaceans, mollusks, worms, gastropods, and insects.

    Academic text (2001)
  • In 2008, inland capture fisheries produced an estimated 10 million metric tons of fish and crustaceans.

    Academic text (2011)
  • As a group, cormorants primarily eat fish, but will also eat crustaceans, mollusks, and small amphibians.

    Academic text (2009)
  • Since their arrival in the Sacramento Valley, the crustaceans have dispersed throughout the rice paddies.

    Academic text (2013)
  • Hence, the symposium included research on crustaceans as an important food resource rather than solely as an agricultural pest.

    Academic text (2013)
  • A hungry adult bottlenose may consumeup to 30 pounds of fish, squid and crustaceans each day.

Compounds

decapod crustacean
  • Specialized
1 6.8

An animal with ten legs like a crab or lobster that lives in water

9.9

A small freshwater animal like a tiny shrimp with a hard shell and flat legs for swimming, breathing and feeding

Surface Forms

crustacean singular
crustaceans plural

Morphology

crustacean = crust (transparent) = crust + acean

The meaning ('shelled/relating to shell-bearing animals') follows directly from 'crust' (hard outer shell) plus the taxonomic/adjectival suffix '-acean'.

Etymology

The word crustacean comes from the same root as crust, which means 'hard outer layer' like a bread crust. That's why a crustacean is an animal such as a crab or lobster that has a hard shell to protect its body.