ostracod

American  

[os-truh-kod] / ˈɒs trəˌkɒd /

noun

1. seed shrimp.

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ostracod British  

/ ˌɒstrəˈkəʊdən, ˈɒstrəˌkɒd /

noun

1. any minute crustacean of the mainly freshwater subclass Ostracoda, in which the body is enclosed in a transparent two-valved carapace

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Other Word Forms

• ostracodan adjective
• ostracodous adjective

Etymology

Origin of ostracod

1860–65; < New Latin Ostracoda name of the subclass < Greek ostrakṓdēs, equivalent to óstrak ( on ) shell, tile ( see ostracize) + -ōdēs -ode ¹

Example Sentences

That is 273 million years earlier than the glowing ostracod crustaceans that previously held the title of earliest evolution of bioluminescence in animals.

From Science Daily • Apr. 23, 2024

Males of the ostracod species Photeros annecohenae, which live in shallow seagrasses in the western Caribbean Sea, rely on two main tactics to compete with one another.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 28, 2023

Moreover, those tiny differences in the ostracod luciferase “correlate with different types of signals,” as this enzyme’s activity can dictate the brightness, duration, and other features of each flash.

From Science Magazine • Aug. 24, 2022

So those ostracod species where males invested heavily in sexual selection chose poorly, it seems.

From Salon • Jun. 8, 2018

So they were able to compare characteristics of extinct ostracod species with the abundant living species.

From Salon • Jun. 8, 2018