Puellina gattyae (Landsborough, 1852)

General description: 

Puellina gattyae is an encrusting bryozoan. Colonies form small, rounded patches, composed of a single layer of autozooids. The largest colonies are made up of several hundred zooids. Autozooids are oval to hexagonal, convex and separated by distinct grooves. They range in size from 0.19-0.39 by 0.10-0.17 mm. Five stout spines are present on non-reproductive zooids and two in reproductive zooids (with an ovicell).

The species is able to colonise shell substrates and small red algae. It occurs in the shallow subtidal zone and deeper offshore waters. Puellina gattyae has been widely reported from the Mediterranean, including the Adriatic and Aegean Seas. In the British Isles, it is known from SW England and the Channel Islands. The most northerly records are from Galway (Ireland) and Belfast (Northern Ireland).

Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith