Infusoria

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Infusoria \In`fu*so"ri*a\, n. pl. [NL.; -- so called because
     found in infusions which are left exposed to the air for a
     time. See {Infuse}.] (Zool.)
     One of the classes of Protozoa, including a large number of
     species, all of minute size. Formerly, the term was applied
     to any microbe found in infusions of decaying organic


     material, but the term is now applied more specifically to
     one of the classes of the phylum Ciliophora, of ciliated
     protozoans.
     [1913 Webster +PJC]
  
     Note: (From 1913 dictionary): They are found in all seas,
           lakes, ponds, and streams, as well as in infusions of
           organic matter exposed to the air. They are
           distinguished by having vibrating lashes or cilia, with
           which they obtain their food and swim about. They are
           devided into the orders {Flagellata}, {Ciliata}, and
           {Tentaculifera}. See these words in the Vocabulary.
           Formely the term Infusoria was applied to all
           microscopic organisms found in water, including many
           minute plants, belonging to the diatoms, as well as
           minute animals belonging to various classes, as the
           Rotifera, which are worms; and the Rhizopoda, which
           constitute a distinct class of Protozoa. Fossil
           Infusoria are mostly the siliceous shells of diatoms;
           sometimes they are siliceous skeletons of Radiolaria,
           or the calcareous shells of Foraminifera.
           [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  {Molluscoidea}, including Brachiopoda and Bryozoa. {Mollusca},
  including Cephalopoda, Gastropoda, Pteropoda, Scaphopoda,
  Lamellibranchiata or Acephala. {Echinodermata}, including
  Holothurioidea, Echinoidea, Asterioidea, Ophiuroidea, and
  Crinoidea. {C[oe]lenterata}, including {Anthozoa} or {Polyps},
  {Ctenophora}, and {Hydrozoa} or Acalephs. {Spongiozoa} or
  {Porifera}, including the sponges.
  {Protozoa}, including {Infusoria} and {Rhizopoda}. For
  definitions, see these names in the Vocabulary.
  [1913 Webster] Animalcular

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  Infusoria
       n : in some recent classifications, coextensive with the
           Ciliata: minute organisms found in decomposing infusions
           of organic matter [syn: {subclass Infusoria}]