Choanocytes


Choanocytes

 

(collared cells), cells of the ciliated epithelium that line the flagellated chambers of sponges, stimulating a constant flow of water in the water-bearing ducts and capturing and digesting food particles. Choanocytes are equipped with a collar surrounding the base of a single flagellum and consisting of ultra-microscopic rod-shaped cell outgrowths. Choanocytes are very similar in structure to the single-celled collared Choanoflagellatae of the suborder Craspedomonadina. This is grounds for pro-posing that multicelled animals arose from the single-celled Choanoflagellatae.