A specialized reproductive form of certain marine worms (especially polychaetes) that develops from the non-reproductive body and is released for breeding.
From Greek epi- (upon) + tokos (offspring, birth), literally meaning 'birth upon.' Marine biologists adopted this term in the 1800s when they discovered worms that transform into breeding versions of themselves.
Some marine worms are extreme shapeshifters—they literally transform their entire body into a specialized breeding rocket ship when it's time to reproduce, shedding their old form entirely! That's epitoke magic.
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