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Glite Dictionary
larvacea

larvacea

9.9
A small free-swimming sea animal with a transparent body that filters food from seawater
  • noun
  • /lɑːrˈveɪʃə/
  • Specialized
: larvácea
  • Some species of larvacea build mucous 'houses' that help them trap and eat plankton.

Examples

  • Marine biologists study larvacea to understand how these tunicates filter food particles from seawater.

  • Did you know that larvacea can be found in both tropical and temperate waters?

  • The transparent body of the larvacea makes it difficult to spot in open ocean research.

  • The larvacea are fascinating creatures found in many oceans.

  • Marine biologists study larvacea to understand how these tunicates filter food particles from seawater.

  • Some species of larvacea build mucous 'houses' that help them trap and eat plankton.

  • The transparent body of the larvacea makes it difficult to spot in open ocean research.

Synonyms

larvacean
vslarvacea
  • Specialized
9.9

A very small sea animal that keeps its tadpole-like young body and filters tiny particles

is classified as a tunicate group and sometimes treated as an order instead

Surface Forms

larvacea singular
larvaceas plural

Morphology

larvacea = larva (opaque) = larva + acea

The word appears to be formed from 'larva' plus a Latinized taxonomic suffix, but the specific zoological sense is not readily predictable for most learners.

Etymology

Larvacea comes from the Latin larva, which meant 'mask' or 'ghost' and later was used for a young form of an animal. So larvacea names small, often transparent sea animals that keep a 'young' or larval look, and that is why the name fits their appearance.