PHYLUM CYCLIOPHORA Meaning and
Definition
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Phylum Cycliophora is a small and recently discovered phylum of microscopic animals consisting of only three known species. These animals have a unique morphology and life cycle, which sets them apart from other organisms.
Cycliophorans are multicellular organisms that exhibit a complex life cycle with two distinct stages: a free-living stage and a parasitic stage. The free-living stage involves a swimming larva, known as a torus, which settles on the cuticle of a host organism. Once settled, the torus transforms into a sessile, cup-shaped structure called a sac. The sac then forms a tubular structure known as a peduncle that attaches to the host.
The parasitic stage of Cycliophora involves a small worm-like animal called a dwarf male that lives inside the sac. The dwarf male reproduces asexually by budding to produce offspring known as swarmers. The swarmers are released into the water and attach to new hosts to start the life cycle again.
Phylum Cycliophora is unique among animal phyla, as it exhibits a combination of morphological features seen in both protozoans and metazoans. It is also distinct in its reproductive strategy, as the dwarf male is the only known instance of a parasitic pedunculate animal.
Although the exact ecological role of Cycliophora is not fully understood, they are believed to be commensal or parasitic to marine invertebrates. More research is needed to unravel the diversity, distribution, and ecological significance of this enigmatic phylum.
Common Misspellings for PHYLUM CYCLIOPHORA
- ohylum cycliophora
- lhylum cycliophora
- -hylum cycliophora
- 0hylum cycliophora
- pgylum cycliophora
- pbylum cycliophora
- pnylum cycliophora
- pjylum cycliophora
- puylum cycliophora
- pyylum cycliophora
- phtlum cycliophora
- phglum cycliophora
- phhlum cycliophora
- phulum cycliophora
- ph7lum cycliophora
- ph6lum cycliophora
- phykum cycliophora
- phypum cycliophora
- phyoum cycliophora
Etymology of PHYLUM CYCLIOPHORA
The word "Phylum Cycliophora" is formed by combining the Greek word "kyklos" meaning "circle" or "ring" and the Greek word "phoros" meaning "bearer" or "carrier".
The term "Cycliophora" was coined in 1995 by Reinhardt Kristensen and colleagues to describe a new group of small, poorly understood organisms that were previously unidentified. The name "Cycliophora" was chosen to reflect their distinctive characteristic of having a ring of ciliated cells surrounding the mouth.
The word "Phylum" indicates the taxonomic rank of the group, placing it at the level higher than class but lower than kingdom in the classification hierarchy. Therefore, "Phylum Cycliophora" refers to the scientific classification of a specific group of organisms with ring-shaped ciliated cells.
