Knowra Entoprocta Entoprocta Entoprocta is a phylum of small aquatic invertebrates whose tentacles surround a mouth and an anus located inside the tentacular crown. Most species live attached to surfaces and feed by filtering particles from water.
Lophophore : A ciliated tentacle crown surrounding the mouth, used for suspension feeding in several animal groups. Like a lophophore, the entoproct crown captures food, but its anus also lies inside the crown.
Tentacle : A flexible body projection used for sensing, feeding, or movement. The tentacles bear cilia that capture suspended food around the entoproct mouth.
Ectoprocta : A traditional name for Bryozoa, a phylum of aquatic animals whose anus lies outside the tentacle crown. Ectoprocts resemble entoprocts in size and feeding, but their anus is outside the crown.
Barentsia : A genus of stalked entoprocts, including species that form colonies on marine surfaces. Its elongated stalks make the attachment and body plan of colonial entoprocts easy to distinguish.
Suspension feeding : A feeding strategy that removes suspended particles from water. Entoprocts use their ciliated tentacles to capture food carried by water.
Crown-of-thorns bryozoan : A colonial bryozoan whose branching tentacle crowns can damage coral reefs. Bryozoans also filter-feed with a tentacle crown, but their anus lies outside it.
Bryozoa : A phylum of mostly colonial aquatic invertebrates that feed with a ciliated lophophore. Bryozoans were once grouped with entoprocts, but their tentacle anatomy and anus position differ.
Loxosomella : A genus of small entoprocts that includes solitary and colonial species. Its varied forms show that entoproct life is not limited to large, branching colonies.
Cilia : Microscopic hairlike cell structures that move fluids or propel cells. Ciliary currents draw food particles toward the mouth and help move water through the tentacle crown.
Peduncle : A stalk that attaches an organism or body part to a supporting surface. In solitary entoprocts, the peduncle anchors the body while leaving the crown exposed to water.
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