a circle or horseshoe of ciliated tentacles surrounding the mouth and used for the capture of food in minute sessile animals of the phyla Brachiopoda, Phoronida, and Ectoprocta
Derived forms
lophophorate (ˌlophoˈphorate)
adjective
lophophore in American English
(ˈloʊfəˌfɔr; ˈlɑfəˌfɔr)
noun
a usually horseshoe-shaped ring of ciliated tentacles around the mouth of certainaquatic animals, as in brachiopods