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1 June 2007 An Amphibious Bryozoan from Living Mangrove Leaves—Amphibiobeania new genus (Beaniidae)
Kristin Metcalfe, Dennis P. Gordon, Ellie Hayward
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Abstract

Amphibiobeania epiphylla is a new, monotypic taxon of Beaniidae (Cheilostomata) from Darwin, Northern Territory. It is unique among the 6,000 living species of Bryozoa in that it encrusts mainly living tree leaves (chiefly the mangrove Rhizophora stylosa). The consequence of living in such a specialized habitat is that colonies are emergent (subaerial) for a significant part of the tidal cycle—around 12 of every 24 hours during spring tides and for several days during neap tides. Desiccation is prevented or minimized by the high humidity of the habitat and a cohesive coating of silt covering the colony. Zooids are weakly calcified and lie alternately on their left and right sides in a lineal series, with opercula displaced to the outer corner of the distal zooidal rim. Organisms associated with A. epiphylla include a colony-damaging ceratopogonid (Diptera) larva and a tarsonemid mite that may use dead zooidal interiors, beneath the silt crust, for shelter.

Kristin Metcalfe, Dennis P. Gordon, and Ellie Hayward "An Amphibious Bryozoan from Living Mangrove Leaves—Amphibiobeania new genus (Beaniidae)," Zoological Science 24(6), 563-570, (1 June 2007). https://doi.org/10.2108/zsj.24.563
Received: 7 July 2006; Accepted: 1 January 2007; Published: 1 June 2007
KEYWORDS
Amphibiobeania
Beaniidae
Bryozoa
Darwin
mangroves
new genus
Northern Territory
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