Hyalinella punctata

Proposal for common name: Dotted bryozoan or moss animal

Classification

Class	Family	Genus	Species	First described by
Phylactolaemata	Plumatellidae	Hyalinella	H. punctata	Hannock 1850

The following synonyms have been used to indicate Hyalinella punctata:

Also see the generic class and genus description in the classification page.
A combination of literature has been used to create this description.

General	Hyalinella punctata lives in colonies that grow closely attached to the substrate A colony is only lightly branching and consist of thick cylindrical tubes that are closely aligned to the substrate The base is formed by branching tubular extensions that hold the polyps at regular (1 mm) distances. Zooids are in open connection with each other The zooids are relatively short and broad and are often tightly packed . The wall is transparent, jelly like and never chitinous Often distinctive cystid openings that are striped (ringed) all around . No separation walls (septa) between zooids, all zooids are closely in contact. Tubes that grow parallel are likely to adhere and merge Although the chitine zooicum is thick, soft and translucent it cannot be confused with the gelatinous species (like C. mucedo or P.magnifica) as the gelatinous species never form branching colonies
Color	Clear, light colored to transparent
Tentacle crown	Horseshoe shaped tentacle crown with 40 to 70 tentacles.
Size	One zooid is 1 mm long A colony maximum ?? cm in diameter
Statoblasts	Both floating (floatoblasts) as sinking (sessoblasts) are formed. Both are round without tubercles The floatoblasts have a broad float ring The statoblasts are found in the main tubes
Conditions	Shallow edges of ponds
Distribution	No information found in literature
Additional	Rare

To be completed

[Mundy] - A key to the British and European Freshwater Bryozoans
[Wood II] - A new key to the freshwater bryozoans of Britain, Ireland and Continental Europe