Ectoprocta - Definition and Overview

The Ectoprocta are a phylum of lophophorate animals. They were formerly placed in the phylum Bryozoa with the Entoprocta, which they superficially resemble.

Generally, the members of the ectoprocta phylum are colonial aquatic animals (also known as moss animals). Although the individual members are microscopic, colonies can grow up to one foot in length. They can reproduce both sexually and asexually. The Ectoprocta are one of the few classical phyla from which no members have been found in the Cambrian. They seem to have evolved in the Ordovician. Currently, there are about 5,000 living species in this phylum.