Tag Archives: phylum

Nemerteans (nem-er -te-ans) are often called ribbon worms. Their name (Gr. Nemertes, one of the Nereids, unerring one) refers to the unerring aim of the proboscis, a long muscular tube  and that can be thrust out swiftly to grasp their prey. The phylum is also called Rhynchocoela (ring -ko-se -la) …

The name Mesozoa (mes-o-zo -a) (Gr. mesos, in the middle+ zoon, animal) was coined by an early investigator (vanBeneden, 1876) who considered the group a “missing link”between protozoa and metazoa. These minute, ciliated, wormlike animals represent an extremely simple level of organization. All mesozoans live as parasites or symbionts in …