leptocephalus

American

[lep-tuh-sef-uh-luhs] / ˌlɛp təˈsɛf ə ləs /

noun

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

leptocephalus British

/ ˌlɛptəʊˈsɛfələs /

noun

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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

leptocephali

plural

Etymology

Origin of leptocephalus

From New Latin, dating back to 1760–70; see origin at lepto-, -cephalous

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

leptocephali

Grassi observed these leptocephali larvae metamorphosed into glass eels when they arrived close to the coast and later grew into yellow eels.

From Salon ● Mar. 25, 2023

He had observed that leptocephali larvae varied in size and deduced that the smaller they were, the nearer they would be from spawning areas.

From Salon ● Mar. 25, 2023

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023