miracidium
/ˌmʌɪrəˈsɪdɪəm
/noun (plural miracidia /ˌmʌɪrəˈsɪdɪə/) Zoology
A free-swimming ciliated larval stage in which a parasitic fluke passes from the egg to its first host, typically a snail.Generally, host seeking by miracidia includes a complicated behavioral process that is initiated through a combination of light and gravity stimuli....
- Not only do P. sinitsini become adults in E. symmetrica, but eggs are produced and hatch inside the daughter sporocysts, releasing free-swimming miracidia.
- Larval stages of some medically important species include miracidium, redia, cercaria, and metacercaria.
Origin
Late 19th century: from Greek meirakidion, diminutive of meirakion 'boy, stripling'.