pteropod

pteropod
/ter"euh pod'/, adj.
1. belonging or pertaining to the Pteropoda, a group of mollusks having the lateral portions of the foot expanded into winglike lobes used in swimming.
n.
2. a pteropod mollusk.
[1825-35; < NL Pteropoda (pl.); see PTERO-, -POD]

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also called  sea butterfly 
 small marine gastropods of the subclass Opisthobranchia (phylum Mollusca) characterized by a foot modified to form a pair of winglike flaps (parapodia) that are used for swimming. They live at or near the sea surface; most are less than 1 cm (0.4 inch) long.

      Those that lack a shell and have complicated mechanisms for capturing and eating other small animals constitute the order Gymnosomata; those having a shell and feeding by means of cilia and mucus constitute the order Thecosomata. The shell is delicate and translucent; contrasting forms are seen in the straight-needle pteropod (Creseis acicula), the coiled pteropod (Limacina species), and the long-snouted pteropod (Cavolina longirostris).

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • pteropod — PTEROPÓD, Ă, pteropozi, de, adj., s.n. 1. adj. Care are picioare proprii pentru înotat. 2. s.n. (La pl.) Ordin de moluşte gasteropode care trăiesc în planctonul marin; (şi la sg.) moluscă din acest ordin. – Din fr. ptéropodes. Trimis de… …   Dicționar Român

  • Pteropod — Pter o*pod, n. [Gr. ? wing footed; ? a feather, wing + ?, ?, foot: cf. F. pt[ e]ropode.] (Zo[ o]l.) One of the Pteropoda. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • pteropod — [ter′ə päd΄] adj. [< ModL Pteropoda: see PTERO & POD] of or relating to certain orders of small, thin shelled or shell less gastropod mollusks that swim by means of winglike lobes on the foot n. any such animal pteropodan [tə räp′ə dən] adj.,… …   English World dictionary

  • pteropod — pter•o•pod [[t]ˈtɛr əˌpɒd[/t]] adj. 1) ivt belonging or pertaining to the Pteropoda, a group of gastropod mollusks having a foot with winglike lobes used in swimming 2) ivt a pteropod mollusk • Etymology: 1825–35; < NL Pteropoda (pl.); see… …   From formal English to slang

  • pteropod ooze — noun A deep sea deposit composed largely of pteropod shells • • • Main Entry: ↑pteropod …   Useful english dictionary

  • pteropod — noun Etymology: New Latin Pteropoda, group name, from Greek pteron wing + New Latin poda Date: 1835 any of the opisthobranch mollusks comprising two orders (Thecosomata and Gymnosomata) and having the anterior lobes of the foot expanded into… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • pteropod — 1. noun Any of several small marine gastropod mollusks, of the suborder Thecosomata, that have winglike lobes on the feet; the sea butterfly 2. adjective Of or pertaining to these creatures …   Wiktionary

  • pteropod — [ tɛrəpɒd] noun Zoology a sea butterfly. Origin C19: from mod. L. Pteropoda, from Gk pteron wing + Gk pous, pod foot …   English new terms dictionary

  • pteropod — ptero·pod …   English syllables

  • pteropod — /ˈtɛrəpɒd/ (say teruhpod) adjective belonging or relating to the Pteropoda, a group of molluscs which have the lateral portions of the foot expanded into winglike lobes. {New Latin Pteropoda, plural, from Greek, neuter plural of pteropous wing… …  

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