pleopod
English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
From pleon (“the abdomen of a crustacean”) + -pod (“foot”).
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
pleopod (plural pleopods or pleopoda)
- (zoology) One of the abdominal legs of a crustacean.
- Coordinate term: uropod
- In decapods such as lobsters, pleopods are legs mainly used for swimming but sometimes used for brooding eggs or catching food. In some species certain pleopods of an animal may have been adapted to special functions such as reproduction.