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Zooid: Difference between revisions

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Category:Protostome anatomy
See also: listing two types of zooid colonies from VERY different taxa
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==See also==
==See also==
*[[Siphonophorae]] for colonial [[Hydrozoa]] which superficially resemble the other [[Cnidaria]] colloquially referred to as "jellyfish"
*[[Tunicata]]
*[[Pyrosome]] for colonial Chordates in [[Tunicata]]


[[Category:Cnidarian anatomy]]
[[Category:Cnidarian anatomy]]

Revision as of 00:32, 17 June 2017

A zooid or zoöid /ˈz.ɔɪd/ is a single animal that is part of a colonial animal. Zooids are multicellular; their structure is similar to that of other solitary animals. The zooids can either be directly connected by tissue (e.g. corals, Catenulida, Siphonophorae, Pyrosome or Ectoprocta) or share a common exoskeleton (e.g. Bryozoa or Pterobranchia). The colonial organism as a whole is called a zoon /ˈz.ɒn/, plural zoa (from Greek zòon ζώον meaning animal; plural zòa, ζώα).

The term zooid has historically also been used for an organic cell or organized body that has independent movement within a living organism, especially a motile gamete such as a spermatozoon (in the case of algae now zoid), or an independent animal-like organism produced asexually, as by budding or fission.

See also