larvalen

Larvalen is a term used in some languages to denote the larval stage of an animal, typically the life stage that follows hatching or birth and precedes maturation. In biology, larvae are often morphologically distinct from adults and occupy different ecological niches. Many animal groups undergo metamorphosis, passing through one or more larval stages before reaching the adult form.

Larval development is diverse. Some larvae are lecithotrophic, drawing on yolk for nourishment, while others are planktotrophic, feeding in the water column. Metamorphosis may be complete (holometabolism) or incomplete (hemimetabolism), with larval forms that may or may not resemble the adult.

Common larval forms include various molluscan trochophores and veligers, crustacean nauplius and zoea stages, echinoderm bipinnaria and pluteus larvae, insect caterpillars and maggots, amphibian tadpoles, and fish fry. These larvae often disperse from the parent, exploit different resources, or avoid competition with adults.

Ecology and evolution: Larvae influence species distributions, population dynamics, and food webs. They are central to aquaculture and stock management, where rearing larvae is a key stage. Fossil larvae help explain the evolution of metamorphosis, and researchers study larval morphology to infer phylogeny and developmental constraints.

Related topics include metamorphosis, life cycles, and developmental biology.