Bryozoa
Bryozoa
Bryozoa (pronounced: /ˌbraɪ.əˈzoʊ.ə/), also known as Ectoprocta or commonly as moss animals, are a phylum of aquatic invertebrate animals. Typically about 0.5 millimeters long, they are filter feeders that sieve food particles out of the water using a retractable lophophore, a "crown" of tentacles lined with cilia.
Etymology
The term "Bryozoa" was coined by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck in 1816, from the Greek words βρύον, "moss", and ζῷον, "animal", reflecting the appearance of these colonial animals. The alternate name "Ectoprocta" comes from the Greek words ἐκτός, "outside", and πρωκτός, "anus", referring to the fact that the excretory pores of the animals are found outside the crown of tentacles.
Classification
Bryozoans are divided into three classes: Phylactolaemata, Stenolaemata, and Gymnolaemata. Phylactolaemata are a class of freshwater bryozoans. Stenolaemata is a class of marine bryozoans that includes the order Cyclostomatida. Gymnolaemata is a class of mostly marine bryozoans that includes the order Cheilostomatida.
Related Terms
- Lophophore: A structure bearing ciliated tentacles that surrounds the mouth in bryozoans.
- Zooid: An individual member of a colonial organism such as a bryozoan.
- Polypide: The soft parts of a bryozoan, including the lophophore and the gut.
- Cystid: The body wall and the cavity it encloses in a bryozoan zooid.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Bryozoa
- Wikipedia's article - Bryozoa
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