epifauna

[ ep-uh-faw-nuh ]

noun,plural ep·i·fau·nas, ep·i·fau·nae [ep-uh-faw-nee] /ˈɛp əˌfɔ ni/ Ecology.
  1. the aggregate of animals that live on the surface of the bottom of an ocean, river, or lake, or are attached to other aquatic organisms or submerged rocks.

Origin of epifauna

1
1910–15; epi- + fauna

Other words from epifauna

  • ep·i·fau·nal, adjective

Words Nearby epifauna

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

Scientific definitions for epifauna

epifauna

[ ĕpə-fô′nə ]


  1. Benthic animals that live on the surface of a substrate, such as rocks, pilings, marine vegetation, or the sea or lake floor itself. Epifauna may attach themselves to such surfaces or range freely over them, as by crawling or swimming. Mussels, crabs, starfish, and flounder are epifaunal animals. Compare infauna.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.