PORT PHILLIP BAY


Lace Coral 

Celleporaria cristata (Lamarck, 1816)

View scientific description and taxonomy

Scientific Details

A microscope is usually required to identify bryozoans to species level.

Source: Wilson, R., Norman, M. and Syme, A. (2007) An introduction to marine life. Museum Victoria, Melbourne.

Taxonomy

Phylum:
Bryozoa
Class:
Gymnolaemata
Order:
Cheilostomata
Suborder:
Ascophorina
Infraorder:
Umbonulomorpha
Superfamily:
Lepralielloidea
Family:
Lepraliellidae
Genus:
Celleporaria
Species:
cristata

General Description

An elongated, spiral-looking colony of tiny individual animals (zooids).

Biology

Bryozoan colonies like this species feed using a circlet of tentacles (lophophore) which filters the water. Most bryozoans are hermaphrodites, either containing separate female and male zooids in the colony, or containing both sexes within the one zooid. Colonies can grow quickly and thus some species can be a pest if they foul hulls of ships or the wooden structures of piers.

Habitat

Usually anchored to structures, including attached to seagrass.

Reefs

Seagrass meadows

Species Group

Lace corals

Depth

Shore (0-1 m)
Shallow (1-30 m)

Water Column

On or near sea floor

Max Size

Diet

Plankton or particles

Commercial Species

No

Global Dispersal

Recorded in Australia

Conservation Status

  • DSE Advisory List : Not listed
  • EPBC Act 1999 : Not listed
  • IUCN Red List : Not listed

Author

article author Patullo, B.

Blair Patullo is Online Producer for marine projects at Museum Victoria.

citation

Cite this page as:
Patullo, B., 2011, Lace Coral, Celleporaria cristata, in Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay, Museum Victoria, accessed 17 May 2024, http://136.154.202.208:8098/species/5933

Text: creative commons cc by licence