obelia

obelia
/oh beel"yeuh, oh bee"lee euh/, n.
a colonial hydroid of the genus Obelia, common in temperate seas and appearing as a delicate, mosslike growth on rocks, pilings, etc.
[1865-70; < NL < Gk obelías a loaf toasted on a spit, equiv. to obel(ós) a spit (see OBELISK) + -ias n. suffix]

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▪ invertebrate genus
      genus of invertebrate marine animals of the class Hydrozoa (phylum Cnidaria). The genus, widely distributed in all the oceans, is represented by many species. The animal begins life as a polyp—a tentacled, stalklike form resembling a small sea anemone attached to the ocean bottom or some other solid surface. The polyp asexually produces medusae, or jellyfish. Obelia medusae release sperm or eggs into the surrounding water, and the resulting ciliated larva eventually metamorphoses to produce a branching colony of polyps.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Obelia — Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Subkingdom …   Wikipedia

  • Obelia — Systematik Stamm: Nesseltiere (Cnidaria) Klasse: Hydrozoen …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Obelĭa — Obelĭa, Weichthier, s.u. Hutquallen C) a) …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • obelia — noun Etymology: New Latin Date: 1868 any of a genus (Obelia) of small colonial marine hydroids with colonies branched like trees …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • obelia — noun Any of various colonial marine hydroids of the genus Obelia …   Wiktionary

  • obélia — (o bé li a) s. m. Genre établi par Lamouroux pour un polypier calcaire (obelia tubulifera) qu on trouve adhérent sur les fucus de la Méditerranée.    Genre de méduses établi par Péron et Lesueur pour une espèce presque microscopique …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

  • obelia — o•be•lia [[t]oʊˈbil yə, oʊˈbi li ə[/t]] n. pl. lias ivt any colonial marine hydrozoan of the genus Laomedea (Obelia), appearing as a delicate, mosslike growth on rocks, pilings, etc • Etymology: 1865–70; < NL < Gk obelías a loaf toasted on… …   From formal English to slang

  • obelia — ōˈbēlyə, lēə noun Etymology: New Latin, probably from Greek obelias, a cake, from obelos spit (rod used in baking) 1. capitalized : a genus of small delicate colonial hydroids having a medusa that lacks a velum and being widely distributed in… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Obelia — …   Википедия

  • Obelia — n. genus of hydrozoan animals that form moss like colonies on underwater structures (e.g. piers, ship hulls, etc.); female first name …   English contemporary dictionary

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