Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Zoea \Zo"["e]*a\, n. [NL., fr. Gr. ? life.] (Zo["o]l.)
   A peculiar larval stage of certain decapod Crustacea,
   especially of crabs and certain Anomura. [Written also
   {zo[ae]a}.]

   Note: In this stage the anterior part of the body is
         relatively large, and usually bears three or four long
         spines. The years are conspicuous, and the antenn[ae]
         and jaws are long, fringed organs used in swimming. The
         thoracic legs are undeveloped or rudimentary, the
         abdomen long, slender, and often without appendages.
         The zo["e]a, after casting its shell, changes to a
         megalops.