Аннотация:The lophophore is a tentaculated organ — a specificity of Lophophorata.Since molecular phylogeny has yielded contradictory data on the monophyly of lophophorates, results of comparative morphology are used here to shed light on the question aboutthe homology of the lophophore in different groups of lophophorates. We compare themorphology of the lophophore and the organization of its coelomic, nervous, and muscularsystems in three different phyla of lophophorates: phoronids, bryozoans, and brachiopods.The morphology of the lophophore and the structure of all lophophoral organ systems areexamined in respect to the standard criteria of homology. The comparative analysissupports the homology of the lophophore and suggests the monophyly of the lophophorates.We present a hypothetical scenario of lophophore evolution based on our analyses.Accordingly, the ancestral lophophore of lophophorates had a horseshoe-shaped brachialaxis and was innervated by supraenteric and subenteric nerve centers, which were connectedby circumenteric connectives and a circumoral nerve. This ancestral lophophore thenevolved in three different phyla by two pathways: (i) by complication and (ii) by simplification.