Gastrotrich

Gastrotrichs
Darkfield photograph of a gastrotrich..
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Subkingdom:	Eumetazoa
(unranked):	Bilateria
Superphylum:	Platyzoa
Phylum:	Gastrotricha Metschnikoff, 1864

The Gastrotricha,^[1] often called hairy backs, are a phylum of microscopic (0.06-3.0 mm) animals abundant in fresh water and marine environments. Marine species are found mostly in between sediment particles, while terrestrial species live in the water films around grains of soil. Adults have a fixed cell number. About 700 species have been described.

1. ↑ from Greek γαστερ, gaster "stomach" and θριξ, thrix "hair"