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Bryozoa are a phylum of simple, aquatic invertebrate animals, nearly all living in sedentary colonies. Typically about 0.5 millimetres long, they have a special feeding structure called a lophophore, a "crown" of tentacles used for filter feeding. Most marine bryozoans live in tropical waters, but a few are found in oceanic trenches and polar waters. The bryozoans are classified as the marine bryozoans (Stenolaemata), freshwater bryozoans (Phylactolaemata), and mostly-marine bryozoans (Gymnolaemata), a few members of which prefer brackish water. 5,869 living species are known. At least two genera are solitary ; the rest are colonial.
Stenolaemata are a class of exclusively marine bryozoans. Stenolaemates originated and diversified in the Ordovician, and more than 600 species are still alive today. All extant (living) species are in the order Cyclostomatida, the third-largest order of living bryozoans.
Cheilostomatida, also called Cheilostomata, is an order of Bryozoa in the class Gymnolaemata.
Malacostegina is a sub-order of marine, colonial bryozoans in the order Cheilostomatida. The structure of the individual zooids is generally simple, with an uncalcified, flexible frontal wall. This sub-order includes the earliest known cheilostome, in the genus Pyriporopsis (Electridae).
Flustrina is a suborder under the order Cheilostomatida of gymnolaematan Bryozoa.
The Ctenostomatida are an order of bryozoans in the class Gymnolaemata. The great majority of ctenostome species are marine, although Paludicella inhabits freshwater. They are distinguished from their close relatives, the cheilostomes, by their lack of a calcified exoskeleton. Instead, the exoskeleton is chitinous, gelatinous, or composed only of a soft membrane, and always lacks an operculum. Colonies of ctenostomes are often composed of elongated, branch-like stolons, although more compact forms also exist.
Cristatella mucedo is a bryozoan in the family Cristatellidae, and the only species of the genus Cristatella. They are noted for their elongated shape and colorless, transparent bodies.
Schizoporella unicornis is a species of bryozoans in the family Schizoporellidae. Species have been found intertidally around oyster beds in Georgia. However, the origins of this species are likely from British Columbia.
Triphyllozoon inornatum is a species of bryozoa in the family Phidoloporidae.
Okenia hiroi is a species of sea slug, specifically a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Goniodorididae.
Bugula neritina is a cryptic species complex of sessile marine animal in the genus Bugula. It has a practically cosmopolitan distribution, being found in temperate and tropical waters around the world, and it has become an invasive species in numerous locations. It is often found in hard substrates, such as rocks, shells, pillars and ship hulls, where it can form dense mats, contributing to biofouling. B. neritina is of biomedical interest because it harbors a bacterial symbiont that produces a group of bioactive compounds with potential applications in the treatment of numerous diseases.
Paralicornia hamata is a species of gymnolaematan bryozoans first described from the Queensland coast. Originally placed in the genus Scrupocellaria, it has now been accepted within Paralicornia.
Licornia prolata is a species of gymnolaematan bryozoans first described from the Queensland coast. Originally placed in Scrupocellaria, it has now been accepted within Licornia.
Licornia peltata is a species of gymnolaematan bryozoans first described from the Queensland coast. Originally placed in Scrupocellaria, it has now been accepted within Licornia.
Paralicornia is a genus of gymnolaematan bryozoans.
Candidae is a family of gymnolaematan bryozoans.
Bryosartor is a genus of bryozoan described by Gordon and Braga in 1994. The only species is Bryosartor sutilis. It belongs to the family Catenicellidae. No subspecies are listed. It is a marine bryozoan known from New Caledonia.
Callopora lineata is a species of colonial bryozoan in the family Calloporidae. It is found on rocky shores in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
Stenopora is an extinct genus of bryozoans first described in 1845, using material collected by Charles Darwin. Its colonies can be branching, frondescent, encrusting, or massive, and shapes display variation even within single colonies. Diaphragms are absent and acanthostyles of uniform size surround its zooecial apertures.
Paralicornia obtecta is a species of bryozoan, found in Australian waters. It has an avicularium with three protrusions, a feature also found in Paralicornia hamata and Paralicornia sinuosa.
References
- 1 2 Bock, P. (2024). World List of Bryozoa. Carbasea Gray, 1848. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2024-03-10.
