noctiluca

noc·ti·lu·ca

N0125200 (nŏk′tə-lo͞o′kə)n. Any of various bioluminescent dinoflagellates of the genus Noctiluca that when grouped in large numbers make the sea phosphorescent.

[New Latin Noctilūca, genus name, from Latin noctilūca, lantern, moon : nocti-, nocti- + lūcēre, to shine; see leuk- in Indo-European roots.]

noctiluca

(ˌnɒktɪˈluːkə) n, pl -cae (-siː) (Biology) any bioluminescent marine dinoflagellate of the genus Noctiluca[C17: from Latin, from nox night + lūcēre to shine]

noctiluca

any thing or creature that shines or glows in the dark, especially a phosphorescent or bioluminescent marine or other organism. — noctilucine, adj.See also: Darkness

any thing or creature that shines or glows in the dark, especially a phosphorescent or bioluminescent marine or other organism. — noctilucine, adj.See also: Light

Thesaurus

Noun

noctiluca - large bioluminescent marine protozoanNoctiluca miliarisdinoflagellate - chiefly marine protozoa having two flagella; a chief constituent of planktongenus Noctiluca - a genus of protoctist

Noctiluca

a genus of protozoa of the class Mastigophora of the order Dinoflagellata. The spherical body is 2 to 3 mm in diameter and has a mobile, contractive flagellum. The animal reproduces by mitosis or by forming small buds, about 20 μm long, on the body surface. The cytoplasm is filled with fatty substances that oxidize and glow when irritated chemically or mechanically. (Experiments have shown that the substances react similarly to electric stimuli.) The Noctiluca are among the principal organisms that cause luminescence of the sea. They form clusters on the surface of warm or, less frequently, boreal waters. In the USSR the organisms are found in the Black Sea and the seas of the Far East.

noctiluca

noc·ti·lu·ca

noctiluca

noctiluca

Noctiluca

Noctiluca

noctiluca

noctiluca

noctiluca

Synonyms for noctiluca

noun large bioluminescent marine protozoan

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