noun
- Plural of lophophore; a horseshoe-shaped or circular ridge bearing tentacles around the mouth of certain marine animals, used for feeding.
Usage: biology; zoology; technical term
Examples
- Brachiopods use their lophophores to filter food particles from the water.
- The lophophores of bryozoans are delicate structures adapted for suspension feeding.
- Marine biologists study lophophores to understand the feeding mechanisms of ancient organisms.
- Phoronids possess distinctive lophophores that distinguish them from other marine phyla.