Ramphonotus minax (Busk, 1860)

General description: 

Ramphonotus minax is an encrusting bryozoan, that is widespread throughout the North Atlantic. The colonies form irregular unilaminar sheets, spreading over the substrate. Autozooids are oval to hexagonal and separated by shallow indistinct grooves. They range in size from 0.5-0.7 by 0.35-0.45 mm.

Ramphonotus minax is able to colonise shells, stones and occasionally kelp holdfasts.The species occurs offshore, typically in water deeper than 25 m in the north of its range, and deeper than 300 m further south. In the Mediterranean the species occurs between 80 – 100 m.

Ramphonotus minax is a boreal and Arctic species. In the British Isles, R. minax has been recorded from the Shetland Isles, extending south along the outer continental shelf to the Bay of Biscay, and the western Mediterranean.

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