enterocoel
/ˈɛntəroʊˌsiːl/
noun
- A body cavity (coelom) that forms from pouches of the embryonic gut during development, characteristic of certain animals such as echinoderms and chordates.
- The formation of an enterocoel is a key step in the embryonic development of vertebrates.
- Scientists compare the enterocoel of starfish to that of early human embryos to study evolutionary relationships.
- In biology class, we learned that the enterocoel develops from the archenteron in sea urchins.