''Bugulina turbinata'' is a species of

bryozoa Bryozoa (also known as the Polyzoa, Ectoprocta or commonly as moss animals) are a phylum of simple, aquatic invertebrate animals, nearly all living in sedentary colonies. Typically about long, they have a special feeding structure called a l ...

n belonging to the family

Bugulidae Bugulidae is a family of bryozoans belonging to the order Cheilostomatida. Genera The World Register of Marine Species lists the following genera:- *'' Beanodendria'' d'Hondt & Gordon, 1996 *'' Bicellariella'' Levinsen, 1909 *'' Bicellarina'' L ...

. It is found in shallow water in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.

Description

''Bugulina turbinata'' is a colonial bryozoan that forms small bushy clumps, up to in height. These are orange or pale brown, and are attached to a hard substrate by an extension of the

rhizoid Rhizoids are protuberances that extend from the lower epidermal cells of bryophytes and algae. They are similar in structure and function to the root hairs of vascular land plants. Similar structures are formed by some fungi. Rhizoids may be unic ...

s at the base. Each frond has branchlets growing out in a spiral arrangement, each with two rows, widening to three to four rows, of

zooid A zooid or zoöid is a single animal that is part of a colonial animal. This lifestyle has been adopted by animals from separate unrelated taxa. Zooids are multicellular; their structure is similar to that of other solitary animals. The zooi ...

s. The individual zooids are rectangular, about , with a short spine at each upper corner. The

lophophore The lophophore () is a characteristic feeding organ possessed by four major groups of animals: the Brachiopoda, Bryozoa, Hyolitha, and Phoronida, which collectively constitute the protostome group Lophophorata.avicularia ''Avicularia'' is a genus of the family Theraphosidae containing various species of arboreal tarantulas. The genus is native to Panama, the Caribbean and tropical South America. Each species in the genus has very distinguishable pink foot pads. ...

is rounded and projects like a bird's head with a hooked beak, just below the spines. The conspicuous brood chambers are globular, and during the summer, yellow embryos can be seen developing inside.

Ecology

Developing embryos of ''Bugulina turbinata'' are retained within a brood chamber, and the larvae are only free-swimming for a short period of less than 36 hours. This means that dispersal potential is limited; in a research study, no new colonies of ''Bugulina turbinata'' developed on settlement plates in suitable habitat despite there being colonies of the bryozoan on bedrock nearby. ''Bugulina turbinata'' is one of the species that form a bryozoan "turf", along with ''

Bicellariella ciliata ''Bicellariella ciliata'' is a species of bryozoan belonging to the family Bugulidae. It is found in shallow water on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea and the Indo-Pacific region. Description ''Bicellariella ciliata'' is a ...

'' and ''

Bugulina flabellata ''Bugulina flabellata'' is a species of bryozoan belonging to the family Bugulidae. It is found in shallow water in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Description ''Bugulina flabellata'' is a colonial bryozoan forming sma ...

'', on steep or vertical, moderately wave-exposed rock, round the coasts of Britain just below the

littoral zone The littoral zone or nearshore is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely inundated), to coastal areas ...

; this habitat tends to be dominated by aggregations of the jewel anemone ''

Corynactis viridis ''Corynactis viridis'', the jewel anemone, is a brightly coloured anthozoan similar in body form to a sea anemone or a scleractinian coral polyp, but in the order Corallimorpharia. It is found in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and the Medite ...

'' and the cup coral ''

Caryophyllia smithii ''Caryophyllia smithii'', the Devonshire cup coral, is a species of solitary coral in the family Caryophylliidae. It is native to the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. There are shallow and deep-water forms wh ...

''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q41163073 Bryozoans Fauna of the Atlantic Ocean Fauna of the Mediterranean Sea Animals described in 1857