PHORONIDS

The worm-like phoronid body is neither segmented nor bristled. Most conspicuous and definitive is a horseshoe-shaped crown of tentacles that surrounds the mouth. From there, a U-shaped digestive tract begins and loops through the body, culminating in an anus just below the tentacular crown, formally designated a lophophore. This anatomy can be seen in the large green phoronids (PH2) shown in the photograph (by Charlie Gibbs). Dwelling in self-made tubes, these filter-feeding creatures superficially resemble miniature polychaete worms of the feather-duster variety (see p. 151).
Only six species of phoronids live in the marine waters of the Pacific Northwest.