Name: from Latin, lorica, corselet and ferre, to bear.
Members: 8 genera; > 100 species, 22 described.
Region: all latitudes.
Habitat: in and attach to marine gravel; all depths, in different sediments; all latitudes.
ZoologyAnimals; very small to microscopic; 100 µm to ca. 1 mm;
Body: protective outer case or shell or case of encircling plicae, armor-like, called a lorica; a head, mouth and digestive system as well as a lorica; no circulatory and endocrine system; larvae are acoelomate, some adults acoelomate or pseudocoelomate.
Reproduction: two sexes as adults.
TaxonomyLoricifera are among the very latest of discovered groups of Metazoans.
Their closest relatives are thought to be the
Kinorhyncha and
Priapulida with which they constitute the taxon
Scalidophora. The three phyla share four characters in common, chitinous cuticle, rings of scalids on the introvert, flosculi, and two rings of introvert retracts.
Genera: Armorloricus, Nanaloricus, Phoeniciloricus, Pliciloricus, Rugiloricus, Spinoloricus, Urnaloricus, Titaniloricus.