larva, stage in the development of many animals, occurring after birth or hatching and before the adult form is reached. These immature, active forms are structurally different from the adults and are adapted to a different environment.. In some species the larva is free-living and the adult is an attached or nonmobile form; in others the larva is aquatic and the adult lives on land.

LARVAL definition: 1. relating to a form of an insect or an animal such as a frog that has left its egg but is not yet…. Learn more.