statoblast

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. An asexually produced encapsulated bud of a freshwater bryozoan that is released upon disintegration of the parent colony in autumn, remains inactive through winter, and develops into a new organism in spring.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. One of the peculiar internal asexual buds developed in the body-cavity of the fresh-water or phylactolæmatous polyzoans, comparable to the gemmules of the fresh-water sponges, and serving for reproduction. These germs of new individuals to be reproduced agamogenetically by internal gemmation are formed in the funiculus or mesentery of the polyzoan; on the death of the parent organism, they are ruptured, and give exit to a young animal essentially like the parent. The fact that statoblasts contain no germinal vesicle, and never exhibit the phenomena of segmentation or yolk-cleavage, is conclusive against their being ova or eggs; and, moreover, an ovary producing ova occurs elsewhere in the same individual that produces statoblasts. Also called winter bud. See cut under Plumatella.

Wiktionary

1. n. zoology One of a peculiar kind of internal buds, or germs, produced in the interior of certain Bryozoa and sponges. They are protected by a firm covering, and are usually destined to perpetuate the species during the winter season. They burst open and develop in the spring. In some freshwater sponges they serve to preserve the species during the dry season.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. (Zoöl.) One of a peculiar kind of internal buds, or germs, produced in the interior of certain Bryozoa and sponges, especially in the fresh-water species; -- also called winter buds.