ZOOPHYTE, from the Greek Zeeov, animal, and (Dtprov, a plant. The characteristic example of this class of creatures is to be seen in the coral, and authors divide them into I. Protozoa, including Infusoria, Foraminifera, and Spongiadm.
II. Polypifera, including the Hydrm, Sertularia, and Pennatularia.
III. Echinodermata, or sea-urchins and star fishes.
The Protozoa are subdivided into Rhizopoda and Infusoria. The Amibm, Foraminifera, and Noe tiluese are three orders of Rhizopoda. The In fusoria exist in all waters. The Ganges annually transports them to the ocean, to the extent of six or eight times the size of the Great Pyramid of Egypt. And the waters at a depth of 22,000 feet , between the Philippines and Marianne Islands yielded 116 species.
The Polypifera, the polypi, correspond with the , polype of science and the acalephous zoophytes of envier. In nearly all the polype, the sexes are separate. They arc arranged into the classes Sponge, Aleyonidoe, Zoantharia, Diseophora, and Ctenophora.
The name is from the Greek vomprovc, mean ing many-footed.. The name is sometimes applied in a restricted sense for the genus hydra, but it usually comprises the animals of all zoophytes of the genera actinia, astrea, caryophyllea, corallium, hydra, isis, madrepora, meandrina, oculium, pocii lopora, porita, sertularia, tubipora, and others.
The sponge animal lives–at the bottom of the sea, and consists of a mass of light elastic tissue. Over three hundred species are known, amongst them are the feather, fan, bell, lyre, trumpet, distaff, peacock tail, and Neptune's glove sponge.
River sponges are irregular sandy masses, piled on plants and solid bodies in fresh water. The sea sponge is found in tho 3fediterranean, Red Sea, Mexican Gulf, and eastern seas, attached to rocks at from 5 to 25 fathoms deep. In the Red
Sett, the Arabs dive for them and sell them in Egypt and at Aden. Tho Spongia, Calcispongia, Halispongia, and Spongilla constitute a group of which the constituent structure is known. The Goodin, Cceloptychium, Siphonia, 3fyrmecium, Scyphia, Endea, Halirrhoa, Happalimus, Cnemi ditun, Jerea, and Teuthium constitute another group, depending on characters of surface and general figure.
Some species of polypi live in large companies, and secrete a habitation or basis, to which the term polypidom has been applied ; others live apart, like the hydra, floating about separately in the water, or, like the anemone, fixed one by one to the rocks. They hAVe, attracted the attention of the most learned naturalists from the time of Aristotle to the present day. The bright-red substance of the polypidom of the Corallium nobilis is the red coral of commerce, which, after pearls, for ornamental jewellery is the most precious product of the sea. It occurs chiefly in the 3fediterranean, where it is dredged for. Sicilian coral has fetched as much as 1.10, 10s. the ounce.
The polyps are propagated by eggs, by buds, and by self-division. The polypidom of Tubi pora musica of the Indian Ocean, is composed of a series of bright-red calcareous tubes, like those of an organ.
The Madrepora abound near the islands of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, and cover tho banks and reefs near the Australian shores, particularly 3f. inuricata, L11177. It is used for ornament, and is the Corne de Dame or Char de Neptune of tho French.—Norton's Levant, p. 293 ; Hatchett ; Royle ; Figuier ; Madras Ex. Jur. Rep.