Bryozoan food of Okenia pellucida

February 29, 2000
From: D.& L. Atkinson

Hi Bill,

Thanks for the identification of Okenia pellucida.

Here is the "big picture" of the bryozoan? It looks more like an algae to me?

David & Leanne

atkin@hunterlink.net.au

Atkinson, D.& L., 2000 (Feb 29) Bryozoan food of Okenia pellucida. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/1987

Dear Dave & Leanne,
Thanks for the photo. Yes it does look like a plant. In bryozoans, each individual animal or zooid lives in a flasklike container called a zooecium. In ectoproct bryozoans like Zoobotryon the plant-like structure is a scaffolding or skeleton on which the individual zooecia are clustered together in small groups. It is these zooecia that Okenia eats so in a well-grazed colony of Zoobotryon there are often very few clusters of zooecia left to see. In my photo alongside you can see clusters of the flask-shaped zooecia. In some clusters the feeding tentacles of the zooids are extended so they look quite like hydroid polyps. Each cluster is approximately 5mm long.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.

Rudman, W.B., 2000 (Feb 29). Comment on Bryozoan food of Okenia pellucida by D.& L. Atkinson. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/1987

Factsheet

Okenia pellucida

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