peristome
/ˈpɛrɪstəʊm
/noun
1 Zoology The parts surrounding the mouth of various invertebrates.Spines and tube feet surrounding the peristome function in locomotion, burrowing, and food-gathering....
- The peristome can seem quite large.
- The autozooids have small apertures and often preserve long peristomes inclined at an acute angle to the colony surface.
2 Botany A fringe of small projections around the mouth of a capsule in mosses and certain fungi.The sporophytes also develop peristomes and a spongy layer.
Origin
Late 18th century: from modern Latin peristoma, from Greek peri- 'around' + stoma 'mouth'.