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Bryozoan, Seaweed Encrusting

Membranipora membranacea

Invertebrate

Ectoprocta

Gymnolaemata

Membraniporidae

Rocky Reef Subtidal
Rocky Reef Subtidal
Rocky Shore Intertidal
Rocky Shore Intertidal

Feeding:
Filter Feeder
Filter Feeder
Distribution:
World Wide
World Wide
Edibility:
Inedible
Inedible
Size:
Hand Sized
Hand Sized



Size is variable but always thin and mat-like, with a single lacy encrusting form with rectangular zooecia with a short pair of blunt horns projecting from the front corners. The edges of the colony are usually wavy. Colour is typically white to pale grey. Most commonly found on the fronds of large seaweeds


M. membranacea prefers shallow marine habitats between the mid intertidal to the shallow sublittoral. It may also be found in brackish water. M. membranacea has become an invasive species in many places, and is believed to have a potentially negative impact on marine ecosystems by limiting the ability of the seaweeds to reproduce.


Like other bryozoans, M. membranacea is a colonial organism that feeds on plankton extracted by the lophophore.