Ectoprocta

Ectoprocta, the group of Bryozoa (q.v.) which includes nearly all the common forms. The characters are that the anus opens outside the ring or horseshoe-shaped series of tentacles (the lophophore), which is, moreover, placed behind the oral aperture; a large body cavity (coelome) is present. The group is divided into two divisions, the Phylactolaemata (q.v.), and the Gymnolaemata (q.v.).