Trochophore
Type of free-swimming marine larva From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A trochophore (/ˈtroʊkəˌfɔːr, ˈtrɒ-, -koʊ-/[1][2]) is a type of free-swimming planktonic marine larva with several bands of cilia.
A - episphere
B - hyposphere
1 - ganglia
2 - apical tuft
3 - prototroch
4 - metatroch
5 - nephridium
6 - anus
7 - protonephridia
8 - gastrointestinal tract
9 - buccal opening
10 - blastocoele
By moving their cilia rapidly, they make a water eddy to control their movement, and to bring their food closer in order to capture it more easily.
Occurrence
Trochophores exist as a larval form within the trochozoan clade, which include the entoprocts, molluscs, annelids (including echiurans and sipunculans) and nemerteans. Together, these phyla make up part of the Lophotrochozoa; it is possible that trochophore larvae were present in the life cycle of the group's common ancestor.
Etymology
The term trochophore derives from the ancient Greek τροχός (trókhos), meaning "wheel", and φέρω (phérō) — or φορέω (phoréō) —, meaning 'to bear, to carry',[3] because the larva is bearing a wheel-shaped band of cilia.
Feeding habits
Trochophore larvae are often planktotrophic; that is, they feed on other plankton species.
Life cycle
The example of the development of the annelid Pomatoceros lamarckii (family Serpulidae) shows various trochophore stages (image: D-F):
D - early trochophore ;
E - complete trochophore ;
F - late trochophore ;
G - metatrochophore.
References
External links
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.