Doliolid

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A small, free-floating marine organism belonging to a group of tunicates characterized by a barrel-shaped, transparent body and a series of muscle bands used for locomotion; part of the zooplankton community; capable of asexual reproduction through budding
2. A tiny pelagic invertebrate of the tunicate family with a cylindrical, gelatinous body covered in muscle bands, drifting in ocean waters as plankton and reproducing asexually as well as sexually
3. A microscopic, barrel-like marine animal within the tunicate group distinguished by its transparent body and muscle bands enabling swimming, commonly found in plankton and reproducing through budding and sexual means

Etymology: The name of this sea creature is a two-step construction. Its base is the genus name "Doliolum", a Latin-based scientific label for the group, and the "-id" ending is the standard suffix that scientists add to a genus name to mark a member of its family or order. So the word is, in effect, "a member of the Doliolum group." The Latin root behind the genus is "doliolum", a diminutive of "dolium", meaning a large earthenware jar or cask. The name fits the animal well: its transparent, barrel-shaped body looks like a tiny cask, which is why a jar-related Latin word was chosen for it.

Synonyms: pelagic tunicate