glochidium


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glo·chid·i·um

 (glō-kĭd′ē-əm)
n. pl. glo·chid·i·a (-ē-ə)
The parasitic larva of most freshwater mussels, having hooks for attaching to the gills or other external parts of a host fish.
[New Latin glōchidium : Greek glōkhīs, barb of an arrow + Latin -idium, diminutive suff. (from Greek -idion).]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

glochidium

(ɡləʊˈkɪdɪəm)
n, pl -chidia (-ˈkɪdɪə)
1. (Botany) Also called: glochid a barbed hair, esp among the spore masses of water ferns and on certain other plants
2. (Zoology) a parasitic larva of certain freshwater mussels that attaches itself to the fins or gills of fish by hooks or suckers
[C19: from New Latin, from Greek glōkhis projecting point]
gloˈchidiate adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

glo•chid•i•um

(gloʊˈkɪd i əm)

n., pl. -chid•i•a (-ˈkɪd i ə)
1. a short hair, bristle, or spine having a barbed tip.
2. the larva of a freshwater mussel of the family Unionidae: a parasite of fishes.
[1895–1900; < New Latin < Greek glōch(ís) point of an arrow]
glo•chid′i•al, adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.glochidium - a barbed spine or bristle (often tufted on cacti)glochidium - a barbed spine or bristle (often tufted on cacti)
glochid
pricker, prickle, spikelet, sticker, thorn, spine - a small sharp-pointed tip resembling a spike on a stem or leaf
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
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References in periodicals archive ?
Infection experiment of glochidium of a freshwater pearl mussel, Hyriopsis (Limnoscapha) myersiana (Lea, 1856).
Phytoplankton composition of the water and gastrointestinal tract of the mussel Diplodon enno (Ortmann, 1921) from Sao Francisco river (Bahia, Brazil)/Composicao fitoplanctonica da agua e do trato gastrointestinal do molusco Diplodon enno (Ortmann) do rio Sao Francisco (BA - Brasil)
We met, talked, and I eventually began to work with him on this larval stage called a glochidium. My path had straightened out again, until it was nearing the time for me to graduate and find a job.
Letter to a young scientist
Identification of a fish host of the inflated heelsplitter Potamilus inflatus (Bivalvia: Unionidae) with a description of its glochidium. Amer.
The population ecology of the threatened inflated Heelsplitter, Potamilus inflatus, in the Amite River, Louisiana
The minute shell structure of the glochidium of some species of the genera Unio, Potomida and Anodonta (Bivalvia, Unionacea).
The Reproductive Cycle of Potomida littoralis (Cuvier, 1798) (Bivalvia: Unionidae) in Lake Golbasi, Turkey
Depending on the mussel species, a glochidium remains within a cyst for days to months (Arey, 1921, 1932; Waller and Mitchell, 1989; Walters and O'Dee, 1999; Rogers-Lowery and Dimock, 2006), during which time it may metamorphose into a juvenile.
Influence of cortisol on the attachment and metamorphosis of larval Utterbackia imbecillis on bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus)
The authors confirmed the accuracy of their glochidium key using tissue extracts from adults that were morphologically identified.
Field evaluation of mortality from hemolymph extraction as a source of DNA, and application to PCR-RFLP identification of threatened freshwater mussel species
The odds against any one individual glochidium surviving are extremely large--thousands or millions of glochidia may be produced, but the vast majority never encounter a fish.
The application of the Endangered Species Act to the protection of freshwater mussels: a case study
The unionid's life cycle has the larval stage, the glochidium, parasitic on a fish host.
Occurrence and distribution of freshwater mussels in small streams of Tippecanoe County, Indiana

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