Tabulipora maculosa Nikiforova, 1938
basal attachment area

Click on pictures to magnify

Tabulipora maculosa basal attachment 1A Tabulipora maculosa basal attachment 2A


Tabulipora maculosa basal attachment 1B Tabulipora maculosa basal attachment 2B


Tabulipora maculosa basal attachment 3  Tabulipora maculosa basal attachment 4

Discussion:

These show the basal attachment area for the bryozoan colony.

Viewer comments:

The bryozoan larva floats in the water until it settles on an object
and begins to grow, spreading out to form a basal attachment disc and
later growing upwards to form the upright branches of the colony.
During life, this colony grew over several other encrusting organisms
that can be seen as grooves and dimples in the basal surface and it
grew by extending lobes outward in several growth episodes. The point
of initial growth, where the first chamber of the colony was formed,
can be seen as a point near the left edge of the underside of the
attachment disc.

Tom Yancey

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