A phylum of marine invertebrates that comprises the lamp shells.
- Many recent textbooks unite Ectoprocta, Phoronida and Brachiopoda under the name Lophophorata, a name introduced by Hyman, apparently because she did not like the much older name Tentaculata.
- As these animals are quite distinct from other members of the phylum Brachiopoda they were given their own superfamily Cranioidea.
- Several recent evolution trees show the Phoronida and Brachiopoda as closely interrelated, with the Brachiopoda possibly a paraphyletic group.
Modern Latin (plural), from Greek brakhiōn 'arm' + pous, pod- 'foot'.
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