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leptocephalus

[ lep-tuh-sef-uh-luh s ]
/ ˌlɛp təˈsɛf ə ləs /
|

noun, plural lep·to·ceph·a·li [lep-tuh-sef-uh-lahy] /ˌlɛp təˈsɛf əˌlaɪ/.

a colorless, transparent, flattened larva, especially of certain eels and ocean fishes.

Nearby words

leptin, leptis magna, lepto, lepto-, leptocephalic, leptocephalus, leptocephaly, leptocercal, leptocyte, leptocytosis, leptodactylous

Origin of leptocephalus

From New Latin, dating back to 1760–70; see origin at lepto-, -cephalous
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for leptocephalus

  • Teleostean fishes are generally bony, but the bones are represented by cartilages in Leptocephalus.

    The Contemporary Review, Volume 36, October 1879|Various

British Dictionary definitions for leptocephalus

leptocephalus

/ (ˌlɛptəʊˈsɛfələs) /

noun plural -li (-ˌlaɪ)

the slender transparent oceanic larva of eels of the genus Anguilla that migrates from its hatching ground in the Caribbean to European freshwater habitats
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012