an organ of balance in some invertebrates, such as crustaceans, that consists of a sensory vesicle containing small granules
statolith
statocyst in American English
(ˈstætəˌsɪst)
noun
1. Botany
a plant cell containing plastids, starch grains, or other statoliths
2. Zoology
a sense organ found in many invertebrate animals, consisting typically of a fluid-filledsac lined with small sensory hairs and containing one or more tiny, free, sandlike grains, or statoliths: it functions as an organ of balance or equilibrium
Derived forms
statocystic (ˌstatoˈcystic) (ˈstætəˈsɪstɪk)
adjective
Word origin
< Gr statos, standing < histanai, to stand + -cyst