An assessment of bryozoan (Phylactolaemata) fauna of Kagzipura Lake, Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India

Freshwater Bryozoa is one of the less explored or ignored animal groups from India. Kagzipura Lake, a rainwater fed water body was surveyed for three years to understand the diversity and distribution of bryozoan fauna. The present study depicts four Phylactolaemata bryozoans species as Rumarcanella vorstmani, Plumatella casmiana, Lophopodella carteri and Swarupella divina. The manuscript provides brief descriptions of these species, photomicrographs of statoblasts using scanning electron microscopy and colony characteristics.

Reappraisal of Australian freshwater bryozoans with two new species of Plumatella (Ectoprocta : Phylactolaemata)

Of the 10 species of freshwater bryozoans previously reported from Australia, only Fredericella australiensis, Hyalinella lendenfeldi and Lophopodella carteri can be positively confirmed from existing preserved material. From a survey of all known museum collections of freshwater bryozoans comes compelling evidence that a specimen labelled ‘Plumatella toanensis’ is actually Hyalinella lendenfeldi, including the only known statoblasts of this species. Plumatella agilis is recognised tentatively pending new material. Fredericella sultana, Plumatella emarginata and P. repens are not represented by any known specimens, although they are likely to occur in Australia. Hyalinella punctata and Gelatinella toanensis have been previously reported in error. Two other previously misidentified specimens, including Hyalinella vaihiriae, are now reported as new species: Plumatella velata and P. rieki. A taxonomic key is given for Australian freshwater bryozoan species, including species both verified from Australia and others only presumed to occur there.

Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the freshwater bryozoans (Ectoprocta) of eastern Canada

The freshwater Bryozoa (Ectoprocta) are one of the most poorly known faunal groups in Canada. A recent survey of 80 freshwater habitats in eastern Canada (from Ontario to Newfoundland) revealed 14 species of bryozoans, representing 56% of described species in North America. The greatest numbers of species and specimens were found in alkaline waters (pH 7.0–9.8) near lake outflows, wherever hard substrates were present. Paludicella articulata, Cristatella mucedo, Fredericella indica, and Plumatella fungosa are among the most frequently encountered, widely distributed, and eurytopic species. Pottsiella erecta and Plumatella fruticosa are rare, and new to eastern Canada. Lophopodella carteri, an exotic Asian species discovered in Lake Erie in the early 1930s, has become firmly established in the lower Ottawa and upper St. Lawrence rivers. Detailed notes on taxonomy, morphology, distribution, and ecology are given for each bryozoan. New limits of tolerance to water temperature, pH, and calcium and magnesium hardness are established for several species. A taxonomic key to the freshwater bryozoans of eastern Canada, including a key to statoblast types, is presented for the first time.

Occurrence and ecology of Lophopodella carteri (Hyatt) and other freshwater Bryozoa in the lower Ottawa River near Montréal, Quebec

Seven species of freshwater Bryozoa (Ectoprocta) were collected from the lower Ottawa River near Montréal, Quebec: Lophopodella carteri (Hyatt), Plumatella repens (Linnaeus), Hyalinella punctata (Hancock), Paludicella articulata (Ehrenberg), Fredericella indica Annandale, Pectinatella magnifica (Leidy), and Cristatella mucedo Cuvier. Lophopodella carteri is reported from Canada for the first time, and this record represents a 300-km northward extension of its known range. Plumatella repens, H. punctata, F. indica, and P. articulata are new records for the province of Quebec. Bryozoan colonies were commonly associated with each other and with other macroinvertebrates, including freshwater sponges, molluscs, turbellarians, chironomid larvae, and caddisfly larvae. Larval caddisflies, Ceraclea (Trichoptera: Leptoceridae), and the microturbellarian Stenostomum (Turbellaria: Catenulida) were predators of living bryozoan colonies.

Some bryozoan karyotypes and chromosome numbers

SUMMARYA technique for obtaining bryozoan chromosome spreads is described. Karyotypes were prepared for the following phylactolaemate species: Plumatella emarginata, 2n = 14; Hyalinella punctata, 2n = 14; Fredericella sultana, 2n = 14; and Pectinatella magnifica, 2n = 18. Approximate numbers were obtained for Lophopodella carteri, 2n 18–22, and three ctenostomes, Pottsiella erecta, 2n = 22 or 24; Amathia semiconvoluta, 2n about 30; and Paludicella articulata, 2n about 20. Differences between the bryozoan karyotypes seen in this study correlate with taxonomy.