The polypide in
bryozoans encompasses most of the organs and tissues of each individual
zooid. This includes the tentacles, tentacle sheath, U-shaped digestive tract, musculature and nerve cells. It is housed in the zooidal exoskeleton, which in
cyclostomes is tubular and in
cheilostomes is box-shaped. Polypides can undergo cycles of regression and regeneration, in which the zooid forms a new polypide as the old one accumulates waste and dies.
See also
Bryozoan Anatomy
References
Bryozoology
Protostome anatomy
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