1. Plural of cercaria; the free-swimming larval stage of certain parasitic flatworms (trematodes) that emerges from a snail host and seeks a vertebrate host to complete its life cycle.
Usage: biology; parasitology; technical

Examples

• Cercarias of schistosomes are released from infected freshwater snails.
• The cercarias penetrate the skin of humans wading in contaminated water.
• Researchers studied how cercarias navigate toward their definitive hosts.
• Cercarias possess a tail-like appendage that aids in swimming.
• The life cycle of the parasite includes a cercaria stage before reaching the final host.