Victorella pavida
| Victorella pavida | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Bryozoa |
| Class: | Gymnolaemata |
| Order: | Ctenostomatida |
| Family: | Victorellidae |
| Genus: | Victorella |
| Species: | V. pavida |
| Binomial name | |
| Victorella pavida Saville Kent, 1870 | |
Victorella pavida or trembling sea mat is a bryozoan found in shallow waters of low or fluctuating salinity, such as lagoons and estuaries. In summer (the growing season) it can have the appearance of velvet. The zooids may be from 0.3 mm to 1 mm in length.[1] They live in colonies underwater attaching to stones. They feed using tiny hairs attached to their crown of tentacles to catch tiny particles flowing through the water, also known as "filter feeding".
Distribution
It is common in the Mediterranean Sea, and has also been reported in the North Sea (on the European Mainland), the Baltic, the Black Sea, India, Japan, Brazil, and the eastern United States.[2] Swanpool, a coastal saline lagoon (Brackish Lake), in Falmouth, is the only location in the British Isles at which Victorella pavida is found;[1] it is protected under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.[3]
Further reading
Wm. S. Kent Memoirs: On a New Polyzoon, "Victorella Pavida," from the Victoria Docks, Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science, s2-10: 34-39. The paper in which Saville-Kent first described the species.
References
- 1 2 Carter, Michelle; Jackson, Angus (2007). "Basic information for Victorella pavida (Trembling sea mat)". Marine Life Information Network for Britain & Ireland. Marine Biological Association. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
- ↑ Carter, Michelle; Jackson, Angus (2007). "Habitat preferences and distribution for adult Victorella pavida (Trembling sea mat)". Marine Life Information Network for Britain & Ireland. Marine Biological Association. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
- ↑ "Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (c. 69)". The UK Statute Law Database. The Ministry of Justice. Retrieved 2008-06-24.