leptocephalus

See also: Leptocephalus

English

Etymology

From (obsolete) genus name Leptocephalus, equivalent to Ancient Greek λεπτός (leptós, “thin, slim”) + κεφαλή (kephalḗ, “head”).

Noun

leptocephalus (plural leptocephali)

1. The flat, transparent larva of an eel, originally thought to be a distinct species.
   • 2012, Caspar Henderson, The Book of Barely Imagined Beings, Granta Books, published 2013, page 69:

     There they spawn, and from the fertilized eggs emerge the leptocephali, which then ride on currents all the way back to Europe.

Synonyms

• glass eel

Related terms

• leptocephalic
• leptocephalous

Translations

larva of an eel — see glass eel