larvae
Definition
Noun (plural, singular: larva): - The immature, wingless, and often worm-like feeding stage of an insect or other animal that undergoes metamorphosis, occurring after hatching from an egg and before becoming a pupa or adult.
Usage Examples
- (The young, immature forms of the butterfly eat plant material.)
- (The early developmental stage of insects is a key diet component for fish.)
Advanced Usage
"larval stage": the period of development when an organism exists as a larva.
- During the larval stage, the frog tadpole breathes through gills. (The early, immature phase of a frog's life cycle.)
"larval dispersal": the movement of larvae from their birthplace to new habitats.
- Ocean currents play a crucial role in larval dispersal of marine invertebrates. (The spread of young marine animals via water flow.)
Variants and Related Words
Larva (n, singular): the individual organism in this stage.
- A single larva can eat many times its own body weight. (One immature insect consumes a large amount of food.)
Larval (adj): relating to or characteristic of a larva.
- The larval form of the beetle is entirely different from the adult. (The immature shape of the beetle.)
Larvicide (n): a substance used to kill larvae, especially of insects.
- The pond was treated with a larvicide to control mosquito populations. (A chemical that kills young mosquitoes.)
Synonyms
- Grub: a soft, thick-bodied larva, especially of a beetle.
- Caterpillar: the larva of a butterfly or moth.
- Maggot: the larva of a fly, typically found in decaying matter.
- Nymph: an immature form of an insect that undergoes incomplete metamorphosis (e.g., grasshoppers), often similar to the adult but without wings.
Related Idioms