choanoflagellate, any protozoan of the flagellate order Choanoflagellida (sometimes classified in the order Kinetoplastida) having a transparent food-gathering collar of cytoplasm around the base of the flagellum. Many choanoflagellates are solitary and sessile (attached to a surface), with or without a stalk. Some have a lorica (rigid covering). These organisms closely resemble the collar cells of sponges. Salpingoeca is an example.