adjective
- of or relating to a cercaria, the free-swimming larval stage of certain parasitic flatworms (trematodes)
Usage: biology; parasitology
noun
- a cercaria; a free-swimming larval form of a trematode parasite that emerges from a snail host and seeks a vertebrate host
Usage: biology; parasitology
Examples
- The cercarian larvae were observed swimming in the freshwater samples.
- Cercarian dermatitis, also called swimmer's itch, results from exposure to cercariae in contaminated water.
- Researchers studied the cercarian stage to understand the parasite's life cycle.
- The cercarian form is highly motile and must locate a suitable host within a limited time.
- Water quality tests revealed high concentrations of cercariae in the pond.