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