Zoology: Invertebrates

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. A Dictionary of Zoology Further reading

Kinorhyncha

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2008 | Copyright

Kinorhyncha , phylum containing about 150 species of tiny pseudocoelomate worms, it is widely distributed in marine sediments. The kinorhynch body is divided into 13 segments, each covered with a cuticle and equipped with characteristic spines. The first segment is a bristly head that can be protruded or withdrawn. Using its head as an anchor, the creature burrows through the mud, pulling its body after it. Kinorhynchs have a relatively complex digestive system, a protonephridial (excretory) system, and a relatively simple reproductive system; no cloaca is formed. Sexes are separate, and the young hatch with 11 segments and add two segments posteriorly during their six-stage juvenile growth. They feed on microscopic algae and bacteria in the sediment. Very little is known of their ecological importance.

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Kinorhyncha

A Dictionary of Zoology | 1999 | | Copyright

Kinorhyncha (Echinodera; phylum Aschelminthes) A class (regarded as a phylum by many authorities) of very small, tube-shaped worms in which the cuticle is divided into distinct segments (zonites) but there is no metameric segmentation; there is a total lack of cilia (unlike Rotifera and Gastrotricha). Most inhabit marine environments, and all adopt a benthic mode of life. There are about 100 known species.

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MICHAEL ALLABY. "Kinorhyncha." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 9 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MICHAEL ALLABY. "Kinorhyncha." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (February 9, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-Kinorhyncha.html

MICHAEL ALLABY. "Kinorhyncha." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Retrieved February 09, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-Kinorhyncha.html

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