Home UK English larvacean

Meaning of larvacean in English:

larvacean

adjective & noun

Zoology

See Larvacea

‘Ascidians and thaliaceans (which, along with the larvaceans, comprise the subphylum Urochordata) display a biphasic life-history with morphologically dissimilar larval and adult body plans.’
  • ‘This supposition is largely based on data which suggests that, within the urochordates, the directly developing larvaceans are most primitive and the other two chordate subphyla are exclusively directly developing.’
  • ‘Other more sophisticated jelly creatures include some mollusks and snails, and tunicates - sea squirts, salps and larvaceans.’
  • ‘The larvaceans - free-floating sea squirts that look a bit like tadpoles - live inside the diaphanous mucus nets.’
  • ‘Comparisons of rotifer SL RNA sequences with those of nonnematode species, e.g., cestode or larvacean, showed no similarity (data not shown).’