Phoronida
Sign in to savePhoronids (taxonomic name Phoronida, sometimes called horseshoe worms) are a small phylum of marine animals that filter-feed with a lophophore (a "crown" of tentacles), and build upright tubes of chitin to support and protect their soft bodies. They live in most of the oceans and seas, including the Arctic Ocean but excluding the Antarctic Ocean, and between the intertidal zone and about 400 meters down. Most adult phoronids are 2 cm long and about 1.5 mm wide, although the largest are 50 cm long.
AI overview
Phoronids, also called horseshoe worms, are small marine animals that live inside chitin tubes on the ocean floor and use a crown of tentacles to filter food from the water. Though tiny and less well-known than many other ocean creatures, they are found in oceans and seas worldwide (except Antarctica) and play a role in their seafloor ecosystems.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- taxon
- Subclass of
- invertebrate
- Parent taxon
- Spiralia
- Image
- Nur03506.jpg
Show 3 more facts
- P105
- phylum
Article
15 sectionsContents
- Overview
- Comparison of similar phyla
- Description
- Body structure
- Feeding, circulation and excretion
- Nervous system and movement
- Reproduction and lifecycle
- Ecology
- Evolutionary history
- Fossil record
- Family tree
- Taxonomy
- Notes
- References
- External links
Phoronids (taxonomic name Phoronida, sometimes called horseshoe worms) are a small phylum of marine animals that filter-feed with a lophophore (a "crown" of tentacles), and build upright tubes of chitin to support and protect their soft bodies. They live in most of the oceans and seas, including the Arctic Ocean but excluding the Antarctic Ocean, and between the intertidal zone and about 400 meters down. Most adult phoronids are 2 cm long and about 1.5 mm wide, although the largest are 50 cm long.
The name of the group comes from its type genus: Phoronis.