Adductor - muscles which contract to close both parts of the shell

Articulata - class of brachiopods with ventral teeth

Beak - pointed extremity of ventral valve

Benthos -fauna and floraliving on the seabed

Brachia - two arms in ribbon form, from either side of lophophore, making it possible to filter the sea water

Brachidium - calcareous brachial apparatus

Crura - two processes which give support to the end of the lophophore

Delthyrium - small triangular aperture serving as pedicle opening

Deltidium - conjunct symmetric plates below the foramen covering the delthyrium

Dental sockets - excavations in posterior margin of pedicle valve

Diductor - muscles which open the shells of articulated brachiopod

Dorsal valve - brachial valve, the smaller valve of a brachiopod

Foramen - pedicle opening

Hinge teeth - with dental sockets articulating processes situated at margins of delthyrium

Inarticulata - class of brachiopods without ventral teeth

Lophophore - feeding organ with filament appendages

Pedicle - fleshy foot

Pelagic - living in deep sea

Taxinomy - classification system

Vagile - moving on the sea bed

Ventral Valve - pedicle valve, the larger valve of a brachiopod