meiofauna
|mei-o-fau-na|
🇺🇸
/ˌmiː.oʊˈfɔrnə/
🇬🇧
/ˌmiː.əˈfɔːnə/
small sediment-dwelling animals
Etymology
'meiofauna' originates from Greek and Latin: the combining form 'meio-' comes from Greek 'meiōn' (meaning 'less' or 'smaller'), and 'fauna' comes from Latin 'fauna' (meaning 'animal life').
'meiofauna' was coined in 20th-century scientific usage by combining the Greek-derived prefix 'meio-' with Latin 'fauna' to denote animal life of intermediate (small) size in sediments; related terms such as 'meiobenthos' have also been used in ecological literature.
Initially formed to mean 'smaller fauna' or 'reduced animal life'; over time it became a technical ecological term referring specifically to organisms of an intermediate size class in sediments (as defined by standard sieve sizes).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
small benthic (bottom-dwelling) invertebrates living in aquatic sediments; typically organisms that pass through a 0.5 mm sieve but are retained on a 0.063 mm sieve (i.e., in the approximate size range 0.063–0.5 mm).
Researchers examined the meiofauna in the estuary to evaluate sediment health.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/27 00:02