Abstract
Nine species of freshwater bryozoans were recorded in Lithuania in a survey of 18 various types of freshwater bodies. Eight species were assigned to the Class Phylactolaemata and families Plumatellidae and Cristatellidae (Plumatella repens, Plumatella fungosa, Plumatella fruticosa, Plumatella casmiana, Plumatella emarginata, Plumatella geimermassardi, Hyalinella punctata and Cristatella mucedo). The ninth species, Paludicella articulata, represented the Class Gymnolaemata. Plumatella geimermassardi and P. casmiana were recorded for the first time in Lithuania. For the plumatellids, species identification was achieved partly by analysing statoblasts’ morphological ultrastructures by scanning electron microscopy.
Highlights
Plumatella geimermassardi and P. casmiana were recorded for the first time in Lithuania
Freshwater bryozoans grow in colonies of minute tentacle-bearing clones that feed upon microscopic plankton
The survey of 18 water bodies yielded nine species of freshwater bryozoans (Table 1). Eight of these are classified with the Class Phylactolaemata: Cristatella mucedo, Hyalinella punctata, Plumatella casmiana Oka, 1907, Plumatella fungosa, Plumatella fruticosa, Plumatella geimermassardi Wood & Okamura, 2004 Plumatella repens, and Plumatella emarginata
Summary
Freshwater bryozoans grow in colonies of minute tentacle-bearing clones (zooids) that feed upon microscopic plankton. They are often found in ponds, lakes, and rivers, forming a cryptic but often a significant part of the aquatic fauna (Bushnell 1966). The colony structure creates important habitat and shelter for other organisms: protozoans, rotifers, ostracods, nematodes and chironomids (Ricciardi and Reiswig 1994). Bryozoans hosting certain myxozoan parasites can spread proliferative kidney disease in fish, which is often fatal in farmed and wild fish populations (Grabner and El‐Matbouli 2008; Bartošová‐Sojková et al 2014)
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