Morphology:
Escharella ventricosa is an encrusting bryozoan. Colonies form greyish-white, often silvery and glistening broad sheets which are composed of a single layer of autozooids. Autozooids are oval to hexagonal and strongly convex. They range in size from 0.55-0.7 mm by 0.45-0.55 mm, with four stout spines present.
Distribution:
Escharella ventricosa is distributed from the western Mediterranean to Shetland, Faroe and western Norway. In the British Isles, the species is widespread and abundant.
Habitat:
The species is able to colonise stones, shells, calcified bryozoans and occasionally kelp holdfasts in subtidal offshore waters down to 450 m.
Taxonomic name: