Magnificent Bryozoan
Pectinatella magnifica
This freshwater bryozoan forms large, clear-to-brown gelatinous colonies attached to submerged branches, docks, and rocks in ponds, lakes, and slow rivers. Each colony is made of many tiny filter-feeding zooids that extend delicate tentacle crowns to strain algae, bacteria, and organic particles from the water. When disturbed, the zooids retract into the protective jelly-like matrix rather than fleeing. A notable feature is its production of hardy statoblasts, seed-like resting bodies that survive harsh seasons and help new colonies spread.
- Type
- Water
- Conservation status
- NE
Growth chain
- ?
- Magnificent Bryozoan