noun, plural nau·pli·i [naw-plee-ahy] /ˈnɔ pliˌaɪ/.
- (in many crustaceans) a larval form with three pairs of appendages and a single median eye, occurring usually as the first stage of development after leaving the egg.
noun plural -plii (-plɪˌaɪ)
- the larva of many crustaceans, having a rounded unsegmented body with three pairs of limbs