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Description
Two more Erytheian animal phyla. The phyllocephalans, or leaf-worms, with a terrestrial form pictured above; and the mollifistulans, which have various common names, depending on the group's lifestyle or whether it is aquatic or terrestrial. The aquatic representative specimen shown is from the group known as tubefish. These two are comparable in diversity and abundance, as well as many of the niches they fill to Earth's annelids and cnidarians.

The most prominent feature found in the majority of phyllocephalan forms is the foldable, muscular membrane known as the velum. It is highly vascularized, which allows for some gas exchange when needed. The true purpose of the vascularization is to provide nutrition to the symbiotic xenobacteria dwelling in the topmost layers of the thin tissues. The xenobacteria are photosynthetic, and provide the leaf-worm with sugars as well as oxygen, in exchange for a stable, nutrient-rich environment.
Due to their sedentary lifestyle and solar acquisition of energy, leaf-worms do not usually need to ingest much food, although all leaf-worms have mouths, and can take in solid food. When leaf-worms do feed, it is always at night. The leaf-worm mouth has a set of two interlocking radulae which roll past on another and grind material (usually herbaceous matter) into smaller pieces into the mouth for digestion.
Another common trait to phyllocephalans is a pair of acute, lateral eyestalks, just below the velum. In leaf-worms like the one above, they have become vestigial due to lack of use.
The posterior end of leaf-worms is covered in stiff spines for anchoring the leaf-worm into the substrate and preventing it from being dislodged by a predator. It is covered in pockets of specialized tissue that rapidly take in moisture from the surrounding soil.

Mollifistulans, known as tubefish in their common aquatic forms, are an abundant and moderately diverse group of animals. They do not exceed great sizes, mostly due to predation.
Tubefish move through the water by drawing water in through the anterior ostium, and then expelling it from the posterior ostium. Particulate matter and plankton pass through the center tube and are trapped in nets of a sticky mucus that is sectreted from the base of the tentacles and runs steadily along its outer edge. Periodically, the tentacles are lifted into their corresponding stomatopore inside the posterior ostium, which has bristles that scrape off the mucus and food particles as the tentacles are withdrawn. The food and mucus go on to be digested.
Since tubefish digestive tracts travel anteriorly, the peristaltic locomotary waves also travel anteriorly to aid in the movement of food through the gut.

Description
Two more Erytheian animal phyla. The phyllocephalans, or leaf-worms, with a terrestrial form pictured above; and the mollifistulans, which have various common names, depending on the group's lifestyle or whether it is aquatic or terrestrial. The aquatic representative specimen shown is from the group known as tubefish. These two are comparable in diversity and abundance, as well as many of the niches they fill to Earth's annelids and cnidarians.

The most prominent feature found in the majority of phyllocephalan forms is the foldable, muscular membrane known as the velum. It is highly vascularized, which allows for some gas exchange when needed. The true purpose of the vascularization is to provide nutrition to the symbiotic xenobacteria dwelling in the topmost layers of the thin tissues. The xenobacteria are photosynthetic, and provide the leaf-worm with sugars as well as oxygen, in exchange for a stable, nutrient-rich environment.
Due to their sedentary lifestyle and solar acquisition of energy, leaf-worms do not usually need to ingest much food, although all leaf-worms have mouths, and can take in solid food. When leaf-worms do feed, it is always at night. The leaf-worm mouth has a set of two interlocking radulae which roll past on another and grind material (usually herbaceous matter) into smaller pieces into the mouth for digestion.
Another common trait to phyllocephalans is a pair of acute, lateral eyestalks, just below the velum. In leaf-worms like the one above, they have become vestigial due to lack of use.
The posterior end of leaf-worms is covered in stiff spines for anchoring the leaf-worm into the substrate and preventing it from being dislodged by a predator. It is covered in pockets of specialized tissue that rapidly take in moisture from the surrounding soil.

Mollifistulans, known as tubefish in their common aquatic forms, are an abundant and moderately diverse group of animals. They do not exceed great sizes, mostly due to predation.
Tubefish move through the water by drawing water in through the anterior ostium, and then expelling it from the posterior ostium. Particulate matter and plankton pass through the center tube and are trapped in nets of a sticky mucus that is sectreted from the base of the tentacles and runs steadily along its outer edge. Periodically, the tentacles are lifted into their corresponding stomatopore inside the posterior ostium, which has bristles that scrape off the mucus and food particles as the tentacles are withdrawn. The food and mucus go on to be digested.
Since tubefish digestive tracts travel anteriorly, the peristaltic locomotary waves also travel anteriorly to aid in the movement of food through the gut.