lar·va

(lär′və)

n. pl. lar·vae (-vē) or lar·vas

a. The newly hatched, wingless, often wormlike form of many insects, developing into a pupa in species that undergo complete metamorphosis.

b. The six-legged immature form of a tick or mite.

2. The newly hatched, earliest form of any of various animals that undergo metamorphosis, differing markedly in appearance from the adult.

3. Roman Mythology A malevolent spirit of the dead.

[Latin lārva, specter, mask (because it acts as a specter of or a mask for the adult form).]

lar′val adj.

Word History: The word larva referring to the newly hatched form of insects before they undergo metamorphosis comes from the Latin word lārva, meaning "evil spirit, ghost, demon." The Latin word also was used to mean "a terrifying mask," such as one that might have been worn by a Roman performer in the role of such an evil spirit. In the 1600s and 1700s, scientists began to use the Latin word to describe the stage in an insect's life during which its final form is still hidden—the larval stage is a mask, so to speak, that the insect will later remove to reveal its adult appearance.

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.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Adj.	1.	larval - immature of its kind; especially being or characteristic of immature insects in the newly hatched wormlike feeding stage; "larval societies"; "larval crayfishes"; "the larval stage" immature - not yet mature
	2.	larval - relating to or typical of a larva; "the larval eye"

Translations

يَرَقاني

larválnílarvový

larveagtig

Larven-...

larvaire

lárva alakú

lirfu-

larve-

larválnylarvový

lârva halinde

幼虫的

larval

[ˈlɑː^rv^əl] adj → larvaire

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

larval

adj → Larven-, larvenähnlich; larval stage → Larvenzustand m

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

larval

[ˈlɑːvəl] adj → larvale

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

larva

(ˈlaːvə) – plural ˈlarvae (-viː) – noun

a developing insect in its first stage after coming out of the egg; a grub or caterpillar.

ˈlarval adjective

lar·val

a. larval, larvado-a, rel. a una larva.

English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

The naturalist includes as one species the several larval stages of the same individual, however much they may differ from each other and from the adult; as he likewise includes the so-called alternate generations of Steenstrup, which can only in a technical sense be considered as the same individual.

View in context

Investigations into the effects of OA on marine invertebrates have paid particular attention to larval development (Kurihara et al., 2007; Kurihara, 2008; Miller et al., 2009; Sunday el al., 2011; Doropoulos et al., 2012) because the fate of larvae is linked to settlement and population distribution (Jenkins, 2005; Johnson and Geller, 2006).

Legacy of Multiple Stressors: Responses of Gastropod Larvae and Juveniles to Ocean Acidification and Nutrition

Delayed larval development was more pronounced in experiment 1 than in experiment 2 ([LC.sub.50] and [LC.sub.95] values in Table 1).

Effect of genetically modified Bt maize in an artificial diet on the survival of Cydia pomonella (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)

The pollen collected in the field by stingless bee forager workers is later processed by nurse bees, and is ultimately destined for offspring, composing the larval food.

Quantification of larval food and its pollen content in the diet of stingless bees--subsidies for toxicity bioassays studies

El objetivo de este trabajo fue determinar la influencia de cuatro dietas, a base de salvado de arroz, en tres cantidades y tres densidades larvales sobre la duracion del periodo larval, porcentaje de viabilidad larval y peso larval de Chrysomya megacephala.

Desarrollo larval de Chrysomya megacephala (Diptera: Calliphoridae) en diferentes dietas y densidades larvales

2015b), methods for larval identification by fluorescent in situ hybridization (Becker et al.

EMBRYONIC AND LARVAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE SUBTROPICAL GEODUCK CLAM PANOPEA GLOBOSA (BIVALVIA: HIATELLIDAE)

"Evolutionary Ecology of Marine Invertebrate Larvae" (EEMIL) is dedicated to the memory of larval biologist Larry McEdward by the editors, two of McEdward's former Ph.D.

Review of Evolutionary Ecology of Marine Invertebrate Larvae

Abstract--To assess larval fish and egg extrusion through the standard-size mesh plankton net used during resource surveys of the Southeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program (SEAMAP), 81 bongo tows with side-by-side nets, each constructed with a different mesh size (0.333 mm and 0.202 mm), were taken during 5 SEAMAP surveys conducted in the Gulf of Mexico during 2005-2007.

Extrusion of fish larvae from SEAMAP plankton sampling nets: a comparison between 0.333-mm and 0.202-mm mesh nets

One of these alternative and complementary methods is maggot therapy [maggot debridement therapy (MDT), biodebridement, biosurgery or larval therapy].

Re: Larval Therapy from Antiquity to the Present Day: Mechanisms of Action, Clinical Applications and Future Potential

Available life history information on Phylloicus (Muller, 1880) focuses mainly in larval feeding habits and case building behavior (Norwood & Stewart, 2002; Rincon & Martinez, 2006).

Historia de vida y fenologia de Phylloicus pulchrus (Trichoptera: Calamoceratidae) en una quebrada de bosque tropical lluvioso de Puerto Rico

Biocontrol potential of entomopathogenic nematodes (Heterorhabditis bacteriophora and Steinernema glaseri) against different larval instars (2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th) of armyworm (Spodoptera litura F.) at different exposure times were evaluated.

Short Communication - Reproduction Potential of Entomopathogenic Nematodes on Armyworm (Spodoptera litura)