Zoea

Zoea are the free swimming larvae of aquatic decapod crustaceans such as crabs and lobsters. Zoea swim using thoracic appendages and this differentiates them from earlier and later larval forms of the same species.

Zoea form a large and important component of plankton.

A photograph of the zoea of Homarus gammarus.
Photograph by Hans Hillewaert licensed under Creative Commons.

Other names for (or types of) Zoea include:

• Zoaea

Related terms

• Crustaceans
• Larva
• Thorax

Related groups of terms

• General biology

Related pages on this web site

• Crustaceans

See other words beginning with Z