phoronid

[ fuh-roh-nid ]

noun

1. any member of the invertebrate phylum Phoronida, wormlike marine animals living in a chitinous tube and having an anterior structure bearing ciliated tentacles for feeding.

adjective

1. belonging or pertaining to the phoronids.

phoronid

/ fə-rō′nĭd /

1. Any of various small, mostly solitary, wormlike marine invertebrates of the phylum Phoronida. As adults, phoronids live in the ocean floor in a tube that they secrete made of chitin. They have a U-shaped digestive tract and feed by filtering food particles with a ciliated structure called a lophophore. The larvae of phoronids are very different in appearance and are free-swimming. Phoronids are thought to be related to the brachiopods and bryozoans.

Word History and Origins

Origin of phoronid¹

< New Latin Phoronida, equivalent to Phoron ( is ) name of genus (< Latin: a name of Io) + -ida neuter plural noun suffix; -id ²