Callopora lineata

Callopora lineata is a species of colonial bryozoan in the family Calloporidae. It is found on rocky shores in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.

Callopora lineata
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Clade: Lophophorata
Phylum: Bryozoa
Class: Gymnolaemata
Order: Cheilostomatida
Family: Calloporidae
Genus: Callopora
Species:
C. lineata
Binomial name
Callopora lineata
(Linnaeus, 1767)[1]
Synonyms[2]
  • Eschara sedecimdentata Moll, 1803
  • Flustra lineata Linnaeus, 1758

Taxonomy

This bryozoan was first described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus. He gave it the name Flustra lineata, but it was later transferred to the genus Callopora, becoming Callopora lineata. It is the type species of the genus.[1]

Description

Colonies of Callopora lineata form small white patches on fronds of Laminaria, often in association with several species of Ascophora. The frontal ends of the feeding zooids are partially calcified, and the front margin is surrounded by finger-like spiny processes. The developing embryos are brooded in ovicells (specialised chambers), which may appear pinkish.[3]

Ecology

Bryozoans feed on phytoplankton, including diatoms and other unicellular algae, which they trap with the crown of tentacles forming the lophophore.[4] This can be retracted into the zooid and the opening closed with an operculum. The nutrients obtained by the feeding zooids are shared with the specialised, non-feeding zooids involved in reproduction.[5]

In the Isle of Man, Callopora lineata was found to be a short-lived species, with colonies recruiting at any time of year and only surviving for a few months.[6] In the Mediterranean Sea, C. lineata is the dominant species of bryozoan growing on Neptune grass in the deeper parts of the seagrass meadows, at depths below about 15 m (50 ft). In the shallower parts, Electra posidoniae is dominant. C. lineata is rare in November, and recruitment seems to take place mostly in February and March.[7] By July, colonies are well established, often consisting of more than 100 zooids.[7]

References
  1. Bock, Phil (18 May 2020). "Callopora". International Bryozoology Association. Bryozoa.net. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  2. Hayward, Peter; Bock, Phil (2020). "Callopora lineata (Linnaeus, 1767)". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  3. Ryland, J.S. (1974). "A revised key for the identification of intertidal Bryozoa" (PDF). Field Studies Council. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  4. "Bryozoa: Life History and Ecology". UCMP. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  5. "Bryozoa: More on Morphology". UCMP. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  6. Eggleston, D. (1972). "Patterns of reproduction in the marine Ectoprocta of the Isle of Man". Journal of Natural History. 6 (1): 31–38. doi:10.1080/00222937200770041.
  7. Lepoint, Gilles; Balancier, Boris; Gobert, Sylvie (2014). "Seasonal and depth-related biodiversity of leaf epiphytic cheilostome Bryozoa in a Mediterranean Posidonia oceanica meadow". Cahiers de Biologie Marine. 55 (1): 57–67.
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