Stolonifera

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Stolonifera
1. class Anthozoa, subclass Octocorallia) An order of corals, with polyps arising from a basal stolon, which creeps over solid objects. Skeletal spicules may fuse into tubes and platforms. Stolonifera are found in shallow tropical and temperate waters. They first appeared in the Cretaceous.

2. class Gymnolaemata, order Ctenostomata) A suborder of bryozoans in which the stolon is slender and of creeping habit. Zooids grow by lateral budding from the stolon and are usually paired. The suborder appeared in the Ordovician and survives to the present day.