nauplius

[ naw-plee-uhs ]

noun

, plural nau·pli·i [naw, -plee-ahy].

1. (in many crustaceans) a larval form with three pairs of appendages and a single median eye, occurring usually as the first stage of development after leaving the egg.

nauplius

/ ˈnɔːplɪəs /

noun

1. the larva of many crustaceans, having a rounded unsegmented body with three pairs of limbs

Other Words From

• naupli·al naupli·form naupli·oid adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of nauplius¹

1830–40; < Latin: a kind of shellfish

Word History and Origins

Origin of nauplius¹

C19: from Latin: type of shellfish, from Greek Nauplios, one of the sons of Poseidon

Example Sentences

The three pairs of appendages of the nauplius larva (the future first and second antennae and mandibles).

From Project Gutenberg

The Nauplius at this stage gives rise to another larva form, the so-called Zoëa, which is of great importance.

From Project Gutenberg

But of all living crabs the Phyllopods are the most closely allied to the original primary form of the Nauplius.

From Project Gutenberg

One of the as yet unexplained features of the protaspis of trilobites is the absence of the "nauplius eye."

From Project Gutenberg

The development, although modified by the early appearance of the bivalved shell within which the nauplius lies, is direct.

From Project Gutenberg