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

Colony Morphology of Schizoporella japonica