Notoplites evocatus

General description: 

Notoplites evocatus is an erect branching bryozoan. The colony is composed of delicate, jointed branches, dividing dichotomously, and may exceed several cm in height. Autozooids are slender and elongate, typically 0.75 by 0.2 mm, with three to six long slender spines present along the distal rim. Notoplites evocatus can be easily identified by the presence of a long frontal avicularium.

The species is able to colonise shells, stones and other Bryozoa. It anchors to the substrate via stout tubular rhizoids. The species is found in deep water and was originally described from samples collected at 2018 metres.

Notoplites evocatus is present in the Kara, Barents and Norwegian Seas. It has been recorded from the outer edge of the European continental shelf, the Bay of Biscay, and Galicia Bank, NW of the Iberian peninsula.

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