Priapulida (Priapulids)
Priapulida (priapulid worms, from Gr. πριάπος, priāpos 'Priapus' + Lat. -ul-, diminutive) is a phylum of marine worms. They are named for their extensible spiny proboscis, which, in some species, may have a shape like that of a human penis. They live in the mud, which they eat, in comparatively shallow waters up to 90 metres.
Their nearest relatives are probably Kinorhyncha and Loricifera with which they constitute the taxon Scalidophora. The only members of the Ecdysozoa that are relatively large are arthropods, velvet worms, and the priapulids. They feed on slow-moving invertebrates, such as polychaete worms.
Priapulid-like fossils are known at least as far back as the Middle Cambrian. They were likely major predators of the Cambrian period. However, crown-group priapulids cannot be recognized until the Carboniferous. Only sixteen extant species of priapulid worms are known.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priapulids | ||
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