Gymnolaemata are a class of Bryozoans. Gymnolaemata are sessile, mostly marine organisms and grow on the surfaces of rocks, kelp, and in some cases on animals, like fish. Zooids are cylindrical or flattened. The lophophore is protruded by action of muscles pulling on the frontal wall. This order includes the majority of living bryozoan species.
Cheilostomatida, also called Cheilostomata, is an order of Bryozoa in the class Gymnolaemata.
Cyclostomatida, or cyclostomes, are an ancient order of stenolaemate bryozoans which first appeared in the Lower Ordovician. It consists of 7+ suborders, 59+ families, 373+ genera, and 666+ species. The cyclostome bryozoans were dominant in the Mesozoic; since that era, they have decreased. Currently, cyclostomes seldom constitute more than 20% of the species recorded in regional bryozoan faunas.
Didemnidae, or Didemnidæ, is a family of colonial tunicates in the order Enterogona.
Ascophora is an infraorder under order Cheilostomatida of the Bryozoa.
The ascus is a diagnostic morphological feature of the bryozoan suborder Ascophora. It is a water-filled sac of frontal membrane opening (ascopore) at or near the zooid orifice. It functions as a hydrostatic system by allowing water into the space below the inflexible, calcified frontal wall when the zooid everts its polypide by muscles pulling the frontal membrane inwards. The ascus, along with a calcified frontal shield, define ascophoran bryozoa.
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).
Scrupariina is a suborder under order Cheilostomatida. The structure of the individual zooids is generally simple, with an uncalcified, flexible frontal wall. The obsolete sub-order Anasca previously included the members of this sub-order before being deprecated.
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.
Atriolum robustum is a colonial tunicate or sea squirt in the family Didemnidae. It is native to the western and central Indo-Pacific where it is usually found anchored to a hard surface in shallow water.
Amathia vidovici is a species of colonial bryozoans with a tree-like structure. It is found in shallow waters over a wide geographical range, being found in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and adjoining seas.
Perophora regina is a species of colonial sea squirt in the genus Perophora. It is native to the tropical western Atlantic Ocean where it is found growing on mangrove roots on the Belize Barrier Reef.
Conopeum seurati is a species of colonial bryozoan in the order Cheilostomatida. It is native to the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. This species has been introduced to New Zealand and Florida.
Electra pilosa is a species of colonial bryozoan in the order Cheilostomatida. It is native to the northeastern and northwestern Atlantic Ocean and is also present in Australia and New Zealand.
Salpa fusiformis, sometimes known as the common salp, is the most widespread species of salp. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, and can be found at depths of 0 to 800 m. They exhibit diel vertical migration, moving closer to the surface at night. They can occur in very dense swarms, as solitary zooids or as colonies. Solitary zooids usually measure 22 to 52 mm in length. They are barrel-shaped and elongated, with a rounded front and a flat rear. Aggregate zooids are 7 to 52 mm in length individually. They are usually barrel or spindle-shaped.
Cephalodiscus is a genus of hemichordates in the monotypic family Cephalodiscidae of the order Cephalodiscida.
The Aeolosomatidae is a family of very small, aquatic annelid worms, between 0.3-10 mm in length and 0.04-0.06 mm in diameter. About 30 species have been described in three genera. These worms are known as suction-feeding worms and occupy freshwater, brackish, and saltwater habitats. They are bottom and sediment dwellers, inhabiting spaces around aquatic plants and the detritus-rich sands and sediments of freshwater habitats (microfauna)
Electra posidoniae is a species of bryozoan in the family Electridae. It is endemic to the Mediterranean Sea, and is commonly known as the Neptune-grass bryozoan because it is exclusively found growing on seagrasses, usually on Neptune grass, but occasionally on eelgrass.
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.
