noun
- Marine worm-like animals belonging to the phylum Echiura, characterized by a proboscis-like appendage and typically found in ocean sediments.
Usage: zoology; plural form; singular is echiuroid; also called spoon worms
Examples
- Echiuroids are benthic organisms that burrow in seafloor mud and sand.
- The proboscis of echiuroids helps them collect food particles from the surrounding water.
- Marine biologists study echiuroids to understand deep-sea ecosystem diversity.
- Echiuroids belong to a distinct phylum separate from other marine worms.
- Some echiuroids can regenerate lost body parts over time.