Stick bryozoan • Microporina borealis
Photo by Jenn Burt
Identification
The stick bryozoan has a bushy colonial growth form. Its relatively short branch sections (nodes) are elliptical in cross-section. Colonies of this bryozoan grow to 15 cm across.
Habitat & Range
This bryozoan attaches to rock and other hard surfaces in the subtidal to 400 m deep. It is a circumpolar species, occuring in the eastern Pacific from northern Alaska to Washington.
Similar Species
The spindly rabbit-ear bryozoan (Cellaria diffusa) is less bushy, with branching that somewhat resembles television antennae. Its branches are circular in cross-section, and its branch nodes are longer than those of the stick bryozoan.
The stick bryozoan has a bushy colonial growth form. Its relatively short branch sections (nodes) are elliptical in cross-section. Colonies of this bryozoan grow to 15 cm across.
Habitat & Range
This bryozoan attaches to rock and other hard surfaces in the subtidal to 400 m deep. It is a circumpolar species, occuring in the eastern Pacific from northern Alaska to Washington.
Similar Species
The spindly rabbit-ear bryozoan (Cellaria diffusa) is less bushy, with branching that somewhat resembles television antennae. Its branches are circular in cross-section, and its branch nodes are longer than those of the stick bryozoan.
References
Lamb, A., and Hanby, B. (2005). Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest [electronic version]. Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing.
Microporina borealis stick bryozoan. SeaLifeBase. Accessed 09/10/2015.
Authors and editors of page
Kelly Fretwell
Lamb, A., and Hanby, B. (2005). Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest [electronic version]. Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing.
Microporina borealis stick bryozoan. SeaLifeBase. Accessed 09/10/2015.
Authors and editors of page
Kelly Fretwell
