Gnathostomulida
/ˌneɪθə(ʊ)stəʊˈmjʊːlidə
/plural noun Zoology
A minor phylum of minute marine worms which appear to be intermediate between coelenterates and flatworms.The lower metazoan groups Gastrotricha and Gnathostomulida, but also Onychophora, Annelida, Mollusca, and Enteropneusta would be the most relevant taxa....
- Also unresolved are the phylogenetic positions of Cycloneuralia, Chaetognatha, Gnathostomulida, Cycliophora, and Micrognathozoa.
- This is strikingly illustrated if we just consider character choice in two subsequent publications by the same research group, for example, for placing the ‘acoelomate’ worms, Platyhelminthes, Nemertea, and Gnathostomulida.
Derivatives
gnathostomulid
- Perversely, they failed to include any sequences from rotifers, gnathostomulids, chaetognaths, or, in fact, anything that might actually be comparable to Acanthocephala.
- How many are familiar with the more obscure groups such as gnathostomulids, kinorhynchs, priapulids and cycliophorans?
- The gnathostomulid body can be divided into a head and a trunk, and in some cases a small offset tail.
Origin
Modern Latin (plural), from Greek gnathos 'jaw' + stoma 'mouth'.