noun
- A small marine worm of the phylum Phoronida, characterized by a horseshoe-shaped crown of tentacles used for feeding.
Usage: zoology; technical
Examples
- Phoronids are filter-feeding organisms found in shallow marine environments.
- The phoronid uses its lophophore to capture plankton from the water.
- Scientists study phoronids to understand early animal evolution.
- Most phoronids live in tubes buried in seafloor sediment.
- The phoronid's tentacle crown is one of its most distinctive features.