Pronunciation: LAR-va

Etymology: Larva is derived from the Latin word for ghost or mask. Linnaeus (1768) coined the term in a biological sense to mean a phase in the development of an organism that masks the mature form.

A larva is an immature (non sexual) stage of an animal lifecycle. Larvae may reproduce by asexual means and may be very different from the adult form.

The amphiblastula larva below is a dispersive larval form of some sponges. It is little more than a developed blastula and looks very different from the mature sponge that it will produce.

Amphiblastula larva, a larval form found in sponges. © Biodidac

By Jack R. Holt. Last revised: 01/02/2009