Definition
branchiate
adjective
- having gills or gill-like structures; equipped with branchia for aquatic respiration
Usage: biology; zoology
Examples
- Branchiate organisms such as fish and crustaceans extract oxygen from water through their gills.
- The branchiate larvae of many aquatic insects develop in freshwater streams.
- Some branchiate mollusks have elaborate gill structures for efficient respiration.
- The branchiate appendages of the amphipod allow it to thrive in marine environments.
- Scientists studied the branchiate features of ancient arthropods preserved in fossils.