epifaunal

ep·i·fau·na

 (ĕp′ə-fô′nə)

n.

Aquatic animals, such as starfish, flounder, or barnacles, that live on the surface of a sea or lake bottom or on the surface of a submerged substrate, such as rocks or aquatic plants and animals, but that do not burrow into or beneath the surface.

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ep′i·fau′nal adj.

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.

epifaunal

(ˈɛpɪˌfɔːnəl)

adj

(Zoology) zoology relating to epifauna

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014