- the free-swimming, bilaterally symmetrical larva of an echinoid or ophiuroid.
Origin of pluteus
1825–35; < New Latin; Latin: breastwork, movable shelter
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for pluteus
It is the diminutive of pluteus, a shed or penthouse, from its conical cap.The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise
M. E. Hard
(an abbreviation of Pluteus, press), with the number and shelf.
Octopyle obtecta bears therefore the same relation to Octopyle octostyle that Tetrapyle pluteus does to Tetrapyle octacantha.
The full-grown larva of the Ophiuroids is known as a Pluteus.The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume II (of 4)
Francis Maitland Balfour
The recorded species of Pluteus have their habitat on tree stumps, sawdust, or upon fallen timber.