Lettuce Bryozoan

Organisms / Invertebrates / Lophophorates & Worms

Thalamoporella gothica floridana

Camp Lulu Key (Rookery Bay Wildlife Refuge; 25.834N, 81.509W)

March 19, 2006

Photograph by Liza Habenicht/Andi Rettger

 

Descriptive Information

Field Marks: Off-white and hard, yet brittle. It looks like a head of romaine lettuce.
Size: 5-6 inches (13-15 cm) in diameter, however, smaller specimens were also observed.
General Habitat: Part of the mangrove community.
Range: Georgia, Florida, and Caribbean

Field Observations
We did not actually observe a live specimen.  The one that we found was dried out.  We found it in the debris of a storm tide, which was 10-12 feet beyond the high tide line (show tidal picture).  This particular tide line was composed of lots of sticks, parts of sponges, and leaves.  There were very few shells or oysters unlike the other tide lines we observed.  The specimen that we found was tannish-yellow in color and when we applied pressure it crumbled easily. When looked at under a magnifying glass, hollow, shallow tubules that are covering the animal can be seen.

References
Kaplan, Eugene H. Peterson Field Guide to Southeastern and Caribbean Seashores. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1988.

Additional Photographs/Videos
Tide Line

Page developed by Liza Habenicht and Andi Rettger