zoea

American  

[zoh-ee-uh] / zoʊˈi ə /

noun

Zoology.

• zoeae,
  plural
• zoeas
  plural

1. any of the free-swimming larva of certain crustaceans, as the crab, having rudimentary legs and a spiny carapace.

---

zoea British  

/ zəʊˈiːə /

noun

1. the free-swimming larva of a crab or related crustacean, which has well-developed abdominal appendages and may bear one or more spines

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• zoeal
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• zoeae
  plural
• zoeas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of zoea

1820–30; < New Latin, equivalent to Greek zō ( ḗ ) life + New Latin -ea -ea

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

zoea zoeas

Micrograph c shows green crab zoea larva, which resembles a shrimp.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015

The various larval forms, especially the nauplius and zoea, were supposed to reproduce, more or less closely, the actual structure of ancestral types.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 7 "Crocoite" to "Cuba" by Various

So far as the zoea was concerned, this assumption was soon shown to be erroneous, and the secondary nature of this type of larva is now generally admitted.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 7 "Crocoite" to "Cuba" by Various

This happens about once a week, until, hey presto! the spiked zoea is now rather like a Crab.

From On the Seashore by R. Cadwallader Smith

Again and again its skin splits, and a rather different zoea appears.

From On the Seashore by R. Cadwallader Smith

All the different kinds of Crab begin life as larvae or zoeas, and cast their shells as we have seen.

From On the Seashore by R. Cadwallader Smith