Bryozoans or ectoprocta or polyzoa
4300 species The horny or chalky external cases of these small, colonial, mainly marine animals are branching and are often mistaken for small seaweeds. They possess a lophophore, a horseshoe-shaped fold of the body wall encircling the mouth. Ciliated tentacles round the mouth carry food particles through the gut. Bryzoans are hermaphrodites and reproduction is both asexual and sexual. |
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