Limulus polyphemus

Limulus polyphemus
Now renamed Xiphosura, though Limulus is still in common usage as a name. The king crab or horseshoe crab, found on the Atlantic coast of North America. It is more closely related to the arachnids than the crustacea, and horseshoe crabs are the only surviving representatives of the subclass Xiphosura. Its compound eyes have been widely used in studies on visual systems, but it is probably better known from the ‘ Limulus -amoebocyte lysate’ (LAL) test; LAL is very sensitive to small amounts of endotoxin, clotting rapidly to form a gel, and the test is used clinically to test for septicaemia.

Dictionary of molecular biology. 2004.

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  • Limulus Polyphemus — Limulus polyphemus …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Limulus polyphemus — Limulus polyphemus …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Limulus polyphemus — Limulus Lim u*lus (l[i^]m [ u]*l[u^]s), n.; pl. {Limuli} ( l[imac]). [L., dim. of limus sidelong, askance.] (Zo[ o]l.) The only existing genus of Merostomata. It includes only a few species from the East Indies, and one ({Limulus polyphemus})… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Limulus polyphemus — Limulus polyphemus …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Limulus polyphemus —   Cangrejo herradura …   Wikipedia Español

  • Limulus polyphemus — noun large marine arthropod of the Atlantic coast of North America having a domed carapace that is shaped like a horseshoe and a stiff pointed tail; a living fossil related to the wood louse • Syn: ↑horseshoe crab, ↑king crab, ↑Xiphosurus… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Limulus amebocyte lysate — (LAL) is an aqueous extract of blood cells (amoebocytes) from the horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus . LAL reacts with bacterial endotoxin or lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which is a membrane component of Gram negative bacteria. This reaction is the… …   Wikipedia

  • Limulus — Lim u*lus (l[i^]m [ u]*l[u^]s), n.; pl. {Limuli} ( l[imac]). [L., dim. of limus sidelong, askance.] (Zo[ o]l.) The only existing genus of Merostomata. It includes only a few species from the East Indies, and one ({Limulus polyphemus}) from the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Limulus — Limule Limule …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Limulus — noun type genus of the family Limulidae • Syn: ↑genus Limulus • Hypernyms: ↑arthropod genus • Member Holonyms: ↑Limulidae, ↑family Limulidae • Member Meronyms: ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

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