- horseshoe crab
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A type of chelicerate arthropod, of the genus Limulus, resembling a crab.
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horseshoe crab
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horseshoe crab — ☆ horseshoe crab n. any of an order (Xiphosura, class Merostomata) of sea arthropods shaped like the base of a horse s foot and having a long, spinelike tail … English World dictionary
Horseshoe crab — Taxobox name = Horseshoe crab status = LR/nt | status system = IUCN2.3 status ref = [IUCN2006|assessors=World Conservation Monitoring Centre|year=1996|id=11987|title=Limulus polyphemus|downloaded=11 May 2006 ] image width = 200px image caption =… … Wikipedia
horseshoe crab — a large marine arthropod, Limulus polyphemus, of shallow coastal waters of eastern North America and eastern Asia, having both compound and simple eyes, book gills, a stiff tail, and a brown carapace curved like a horseshoe: a living fossil… … Universalium
horseshoe crab — Limulus Lim u*lus (l[i^]m [ u]*l[u^]s), n.; pl. {Limuli} ( l[imac]). [L., dim. of limus sidelong, askance.] (Zo[ o]l.) The only existing genus of Merostomata. It includes only a few species from the East Indies, and one ({Limulus polyphemus})… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
horseshoe crab — horse′shoe crab′ n. ivt any of several large marine arthropods of the order Xiphosura, esp. Limulus polyphemus, of E North American shores, having a stiff tail and brown carapace curved like a horseshoe Also called king crab • Etymology: 1765–75 … From formal English to slang
horseshoe crab — /ˈhɔsʃu kræb/ (say hawsshooh krab) noun any of various marine arthropods, especially of the genus Limulus, with a carapace shaped somewhat like a horseshoe; king crab …
horseshoe crab — noun large marine arthropod of the Atlantic coast of North America having a domed carapace that is shaped like a horseshoe and a stiff pointed tail; a living fossil related to the wood louse • Syn: ↑king crab, ↑Limulus polyphemus, ↑Xiphosurus… … Useful english dictionary
horseshoe crab — n. primitive marine arthropod shaped like a horseshoe … English contemporary dictionary
horseshoe crab — noun a large marine arthropod with a domed horseshoe shaped shell and a long tail spine. [Limulus polyphemus (N. America) and other species.] … English new terms dictionary
horseshoe crab — noun Date: 1797 any of several closely related marine arthropods (order Xiphosura and class Merostomata) with a broad crescentic cephalothorax, six pairs of legs, and a spikelike tail; especially one (Limulus polyphemus) of coastal waters from… … New Collegiate Dictionary
