Key to Australian Freshwater and Terrestrial Invertebrates

Phylum Bryozoa

Common names: bryozoans, moss animals

Bryozoans are entirely aquatic animals that feed by filtering food particles out of the water. They are sometimes known as the �Ectoprocta� or �moss animals� and the majority of species live in colonies that may contain hundreds of thousands of individuals. Individuals in these colonies are called �zooids� which may be specialised for functions such as feeding, reproduction or defence. Australia is home to nearly 900 described species of bryozoans, however many of these live in marine habitats. Living members of the Bryozoa are placed into three classes: Phylactolaemata (contains only freshwater species), Stenolaemata (contains only marine species) and Gymnolaemata (contains mostly marine species).