pleopod
English
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editFrom pleon (“the abdomen of a crustacean”) + -pod (“foot”).
Pronunciation
editNoun
editpleopod (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.