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The strange ctenostome Triticella

Sometimes you find the strangest things when you go through museum collections...

In the collections at the Natural History Museum we have unidentified bryozoan material that I (Mali) go through, sort and identify down to species/genus. Here I found an interesting jar with some kind of crustacean with a label that said "bryozoa". Of course that had to be investigated!

A photo of a crustacean in ethanol. The head and its appendages are covered in a bryozoan colony.
A photo of the crustacean and the bryozoans I found growing on it. Photo: Mali H. Ramsfjell

It turns out that there was a species of bryozoan in that jar, namely what is most likely Triticella flava. This is a bryozoan belonging to the order Ctenostomatida, and this genus tends to grow on various marine invertebrates such as decapods, mollusks and sponges. Some have even specialized on crustaceans and can synchronize their reproduction with the molting of their host.

A close up of the Triticella-zooids. The zooids are placed on long stalks.
A close up of the zooids. Photo: Mali H. Ramsfjell

There are relatively few findings of this species in Norway, but this is probably due to underreporting.

Tags: Artsdatabanken, Bryozoa, Marine invertebrates, collections, naturhistorisk museum, marine biology By Mali Hamre Ramsfjell
Published Sep. 24, 2025 3:37 PM - Last modified Sep. 24, 2025 3:38 PM