tail fan
noun Zoology.
the fanlike posterior appendage of crayfish and lobsters, consisting of a telson and two uropods, used for rapid backward propulsion.
Origin of tail fan
First recorded in 1890–95
Words nearby tail fan
Example sentences from the Web for tail fan
The uropods no longer form a tail-fan, but are adapted for firmly wedging the hind part of the body into the coils of the shell.
The Life of Crustacea |William Thomas CalmanThe uropods are generally very small, and do not form a tail-fan.
The Life of Crustacea |William Thomas CalmanT, telson, having the uropods or appendages of the last abdominal somite spread out on either side of it, forming the “tail-fan.”
British Dictionary definitions for tail fan
tail fan
noun
the fanned structure at the hind end of a lobster or related crustacean, formed from the telson and uropods