noctiluca

American  

[nok-tuh-loo-kuh] / ˌnɒk təˈlu kə /

noun

plural

noctilucae

1. a dinoflagellate of the genus Noctiluca, capable of producing light and, in groups, of causing a luminous appearance of the sea.

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noctiluca British  

/ ˌnɒktɪˈluːkə /

noun

1. any bioluminescent marine dinoflagellate of the genus Noctiluca

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Other Word Forms

• noctilucan adjective

Etymology

Origin of noctiluca

1670–80; < New Latin; Latin noctilūca shiner by night, equivalent to nocti- nocti- + -lūca shiner, derivative of lūcēre to shine

Example Sentences

He added the dinoflagellate, called noctiluca, were present in the water "all the time", just not always at the surface where we can see bioluminescence clearly.

From BBC

As this weather front moves across the Arabian Sea every year, it churned up oxygen-poor water thick with nutrients that have fueled the rise of a 1.2-billion-year old algae called noctiluca scintillans.

From Seattle Times

The mauve stinger jellyfish, also known as pelagia noctiluca, are small enough to get inside salmon cages.

From BBC

The new species bears similarities to the Pelagia noctiluca, also known as the mauve stinger for its purple glow and stinging abilities.

From Scientific American

GLOW-WORM, the popular name of the wingless female of the beetle Lampyris noctiluca, whose power of emitting light has been familiar for many centuries.

From Project Gutenberg