Phoronis
Phoronis is one of the two genera of the horseshoe worm family (Phoronidae), in the phylum Phoronida. The body has two sections, each with its own coelom. There is a specialist feeding structure, the lophophore, which is an extension of the wall of the coelom and is surrounded by tentacles. The gut is U-shaped. The diagnostic feature that distinguishes this genus is the lack of epidermal invagination at the base of the lophophore. These worms are filter feeders. They live on hard substrates or soft sediments in marine environments throughout the world. They have different modes of reproduction which help with their success.
The scientific name of the larval form is Actinotrocha.
7 branches of this genus, most-observed first
Anemone Horseshoe Worm
speciesPhoronis australis
White Colonial Phoronid
speciesPhoronis ijimai
Phoronis hippocrepia
speciesPhoronis hippocrepia
Sand horseshoe worm
speciesPhoronis psammophila
Phoronis ovalis
speciesPhoronis ovalis
Phoronis muelleri
speciesPhoronis muelleri
Phoronis pallida
speciesPhoronis pallida
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Phoronis in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 247220.