meiofauna

/ ˈmaɪəʊˌfɔːnə /

noun

1. the component of the fauna of a sea or lake bed comprising small (but not microscopic) animals, such as tiny worms and crustaceans

Derived Forms

• ˌmeioˈfaunal, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of meiofauna¹

C20: from Greek meiōn less + fauna

Example Sentences

Thiel was interested in the region’s largely unstudied meiofauna — the tiny animals that live on and between the nodules.

From Nature

Living between the wet sand grains is a whole universe of microscopic life: the meiofauna.

From Scientific American

Perhaps the habitats least explored and prospected for life are the most familiar: soil, sediments in ponds, and the seashore — the home of the meiofauna, creatures that make their living between particles of minerals and detritus.

From Nature

Meiofauna creatures at their largest are just at the verge of unaided visibility, down to about 40 micrometres in diameter — a world literally in the interstices, too small for every day, but too big to trouble micro- or molecular biologists.

From Nature