Freshwater bryozoan  (Lophopus crystallinus)

Description

There are 11 described species of freshwater bryozoa in the UK; this bryozoan is the only member of the family Lophopodidae to be found here (3). Bryozoans are a group of small aquatic animals that live as colonies. The colony is comprised of zooids, or individual animals, that each contain a set of internal organs and a crown of tentacles, surrounding the mouth, which is used to gather food (2). The gelatinous colonies (4) of L. crystallinus form cream-coloured globular patches that grow to about 1cm in diameter. When L. crystallinus is submerged, the horseshoe-shaped crowns of tentacles of the component zooids are visible with the use of a hand-lens (2).

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