horsehair worm

horsehair worm
any long, slender worm of the phylum Nematomorpha, developing parasitically on insects and crustaceans, and free-living as adults in streams and ponds. Also called gordian worm, nematomorph.
[1745-55]

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Any of about 250–300 species (class Nematomorpha, or Gordiacea; phylum Aschelminthes) of long, thin worms.

The young are parasites in arthropods; the adults are free-living in the sea or in freshwater. The hairlike body sometimes grows to a length of about 39 in. (1 m).

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▪ aschelminths class
also called  hairworm , or  gordian worm 
 any of the approximately 250 to 300 species of the class Nematomorpha, or Gordiacea (phylum Aschelminthes). The young of these long, thin worms are parasitic in arthropods. The adults are free-living in the sea or in freshwater. The hairlike body sometimes grows to a length of 1 m (about 39 inches).

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Horsehair worm — Horsehair Horse hair , n. A hair of a horse, especially one from the mane or tail; the hairs of the mane or tail taken collectively; Specifically: a black shiny fabric made of such hairs, used commonly in the 1800 s as a covering for stuffed… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • horsehair worm — n. GORDIAN WORM …   English World dictionary

  • horsehair worm — horse·hair worm .ha(ə)r , he(ə)r n any worm of the class or phylum Nematomorpha called also gordiacean, horsehair snake * * * Gordius …   Medical dictionary

  • horsehair worm — /hɔshɛə ˈwɜm/ (say hawshair werm) noun → hair worm. Also, horsehair snake …  

  • horsehair worm — horse′hair worm n. ivt any long slender aquatic worm of the phylum Nematomorpha, developing parasitically on insects and crustaceans …   From formal English to slang

  • horsehair worm — noun see horsehair snake …   Useful english dictionary

  • horsehair worm — noun Date: circa 1753 hairworm 1 …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Horsehair — Horse hair , n. A hair of a horse, especially one from the mane or tail; the hairs of the mane or tail taken collectively; Specifically: a black shiny fabric made of such hairs, used commonly in the 1800 s as a covering for stuffed furniture such …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • horsehair snake — noun or horsehair worm : a free living adult gordioid worm * * * horsehair snake or horsehair worm, = hairworm. (Cf. ↑hairworm) …   Useful english dictionary

  • worm — wormer, n. wormlike, wormish, adj. /werrm/, n. 1. Zool. any of numerous long, slender, soft bodied, legless, bilaterally symmetrical invertebrates, including the flatworms, roundworms, acanthocephalans, nemerteans, gordiaceans, and annelids. 2.… …   Universalium

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