pleopod

noun

pleopod

noun

/ˈpliːəˌpɒd/

Etymology From pleon (“the abdomen of a crustacean”) + -pod (“foot”).

1

Biology, Natural sciences, Zoology One of the abdominal legs of a crustacean.

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.

Derived terms: pleopodal

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.