Schizoporella japonica
Bryozoans are very difficult to tell apart from one another, especially simply with visual identification. Schizoporella japonica has a distinctive bright orange coloring, with two faint red spots during the first few days of settlement. The ancestrula (first zooid) forms a pore with small spines radiating outward. The lophophore of the ancestrula is orange and string-like for the first week after it is developed. The second zooid to form (after the ancestrula) has a ridged, textured surface, as shown in the Day 7 photo.
Anatomy of Schizoporella japonica
Ancestrula- the zooid which arises from the larva after settlement; the original zooid before asexual reproduction begins
Zooecium- the encasing material which houses the body of the zooid
Lophophore- a ring of ciliated tentacles surrounding the mouth used for feeding; may be extended or retracted
Operculum (pl. Opercula)- the hole from which the lophophore emerges
Zooecium- the encasing material which houses the body of the zooid
Lophophore- a ring of ciliated tentacles surrounding the mouth used for feeding; may be extended or retracted
Operculum (pl. Opercula)- the hole from which the lophophore emerges