Broom beetle - Broom beetle

Japanese: ホウキムシ(箒虫) - ホウキムシ

A general term for invertebrates belonging to the phylum Phoronida, or one of these species. The broomworm Phoronis australis (illustration) is found throughout Japan and Australia, where it lives in shallow sea sand and mud inside a sac made of mucus secreted from the surface of its body, or lives symbiotically inside the burrows of purple anemones. It reaches a body length of 9 cm and a width of 4 mm, and consists of a crown of tentacles and a cylindrical body. The crown of tentacles is deep purple and many tentacles are arranged in double, spreading out in the water and creating a water current with the ciliary movement of each tentacle, carrying phytoplankton to its mouth, which opens on the top of a cone-shaped projection.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

箒虫動物門Phoronidaに属する無脊椎動物の総称，またはそのうちの1種を指す。ホウキムシPhoronis australis（イラスト）は日本各地，オーストラリアに分布し，体表から分泌した粘液でつくった袋に入って浅海の砂泥中にすむか，ムラサキハナギンチャクの棲管（せいかん）の中に共生する。体長9cm，体幅4mmに達し，体は触手冠と円筒状の胴部とからなる。触手冠は濃い紫色で多くの触手が二重に配列し，触手冠を水中に広げ，各触手の繊毛運動で水流を起こして植物プランクトンを円錐状突起の上に開いている口へ運ぶ。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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