Intertidal Invertebrates of the Monterey Bay Area, California

Compiled & photographed by Gary McDonald, Long Marine Laboratory, University of California, Santa Cruz
Eurystomella bilabiata (Hincks, 1884)               
Pink Encrusting Bryozoan
Bryozoa: Gymnolaemata: Cheilostomata: Ascophorina: Eurystomellidae
Geographic Range: Alaska to Bahia de Tenacatita, Mexico. Synonyms: Lepralia bilabiata
Back to: Bryozoa Back to: Intertidal Invertebrates of the Monterey Bay Area
Eurystomella_bilabiata_0039.jpg
Carmel Pt., Monterey Co., CA; 5 Mar 2008.

Description: Colony forms a pink to rose-red encrustation on rocks and mollusk shells.
Size: Individuals are about 0.5mm wide and 0.6-0.7mm long; colonies may be several centimeters across.
Notes: This is the only bright pink encrusting bryozoan found in the local intertidal. The nudibranch Okenia rosacea preys on this bryozoan, and obtains its pink color (hopkinsiaxanthin) from it.

Eurystomella_bilabiata_0048.jpg
Carmel Pt., Monterey Co., CA; 5 Mar 2008. Close-up of colony with individual retracted.		 Eurystomella_bilabiata_0030.jpg
Carmel Pt., Monterey Co., CA; 5 Mar 2008. Close-up a several zooids showing lophophoral tentacles.
Eurystomella_bilabiata_0023.jpgCarmel Pt., Monterey Co., CA; 5 Mar 2008. Close-up a single zooid showing lophophoral tentacles.  

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