rhizocephalan

adjective Zoology.

1. belonging to the Rhizocephala, a group of degenerate hermaphrodite crustaceans that are parasitic chiefly on crabs.

noun

1. any parasitic crustacean of the order Rhizocephala, esp Sacculina carcini, which has a saclike body and sends out absorptive processes into the body of its host, the crab: subclass Cirripedia (barnacles)

adjective Also: rhizocephalous

2. of, relating to, or belonging to the order Rhizocephala