Phoronida is a small phylum of marine animals, commonly called phoronids or horseshoe worms, that filter feed with a crown of ciliated tentacles called a lophophore and build upright tubes of chitin to support and protect their soft bodies. They are found in most oceans and seas, including the Arctic but excluding the Antarctic, from the intertidal zone down to about 400 meters, and most adults are around 2 centimeters long though the largest species reach 50 centimeters.
Facts
Taxonomic Rank Scientific Name Member Species/Taxa Count Geographic DistributionMost oceans and seas including the Arctic Ocean but not the Antarctic Ocean, from the intertidal zone to about 400 meters 1 Defining CharacteristicsFilter feeders with a lophophore that build upright chitin tubes 1 Identification
Distinguishing AppearanceMost adults are about 2 cm long and 1.5 mm wide, the largest 50 cm long 1 Classification
Living or Extinct In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Sources
1. Phoronid, Wikipedia
Overview, definition
Phoronids (taxonomic name Phoronida, sometimes called horseshoe worms) are a small phylum of marine animals that filter-feed with a lophophore
Overview, species count
while there are 12 undisputed adult phoronid species, 25 morphological types of larvae have been identified
Overview, distribution
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
Body structure, tubes
build upright tubes of chitin to support and protect their soft bodies
Body structure, size
Most adult phoronids are 2 cm long and about 1.5 mm wide, although the largest are 50 cm long
In Group: Minor Animal Phyla, Lead
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.
View the Source2. Wikidata (taxon extant/extinct status)
Wikimedia Foundation / Wikidata contributorsQ162907, descriptionView the Source Wikidata: Phoronida
Wikidata Q162907, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.