(n.) An animal, invisible, or nearly so, to the naked eye. See Infusoria.
(n.) A small animal, as a fly, spider, etc.
Example Sentences:
(1) It is particularly appropriate for an assemblage of protozoologists to pay homage to this intrepid "philosopher in little things," a man with an insatiable curiosity about his wee animalcules, on the tricentenary of his discovery of them, since it was an event of such long-lasting significance.
Heliozoa
Definition:
(n. pl.) An order of fresh-water rhizopods having a more or less globular form, with slender radiating pseudopodia; the sun animalcule.
Example Sentences:
(1) It is concluded that the justification of the conventional classification of Heliozoa is questionable.
(2) The effects of helium, nitrogen, argon and krypton on Echinosphaerium nucleofilum (Heliozoa) have been studied at partial pressures of 10-130 atm.
(3) Comparative studies of axopodial microtubule pattern in 10 different centrohelidan Heliozoa belonging to the genera Acanthocystis, Raphidiophrys and Heterophrys suggest that 2 basic principles govern pattern formation in centrohelidan Heliozoa.
(4) The fine structure of Heterophrys marina (Centrohelidia, Heliozoa) is described with special reference to centroplast structure, morphogenesis and "behavior" of kinetocysts (= axopodial granules which perform saltatory movement), and formation of organic spicules in a new type of organelle located in the plasma membrane.