Ectoprocta

Class Phylactolaemata

Exclusively freshwater animals having chitinous or gelatinous zooids with circular or horseshoe-shaped lophophores and well-developed body wall musculature. They produce characteristic resting bodies called statoblasts, which can survive cold and drying and germinate to found a new colony.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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