Placozoa

Placozoa is a phylum of tiny, flattened marine animals with no organs, muscles, or nervous system. Its members move and feed using coordinated cells in a simple body.

Trichoplax adhaerens: A placozoan species and the best-studied representative of the phylum. Its anatomy and genome underpin much of what is known about placozoans.
Extracellular digestion: The breakdown of food outside cells by secreted enzymes. Placozoans release digestive substances onto food beneath their bodies.
Animal: A multicellular eukaryote in the kingdom Animalia, typically capable of movement and consuming organic matter. Placozoa is one of the animal phyla, with an unusually simple body plan.
Hoilungia hongkongensis: A placozoan species described from Hong Kong and distinguished through genomic analysis. It demonstrates that genetic diversity within Placozoa exceeds the traditional single-species picture.
Animal tissue: An organized group of animal cells that performs a shared function. Placozoans have organized cell layers, though they lack conventional organs and tissues.
Phagocytosis: The uptake of particles or cells by engulfing them with a cell membrane. Placozoan cells take up food particles after external digestion.
Animal evolution: The evolutionary history and diversification of animals. Placozoans provide evidence for reconstructing the early diversification of animals.
Polyplacotoma mediterranea: A placozoan species described from the Mediterranean with a distinctive branching form. Its unusual shape expands the known range of placozoan body forms.
Epithelial cell: A cell that forms a covering or lining and often connects tightly with neighboring cells. Dorsal and ventral epithelial cells form the animal's two principal surfaces.
Ciliary locomotion: Movement produced by coordinated beating of cilia. Ventral cilia propel placozoans over surfaces.

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