Boring bryozoans: an investigation into the endolithic bryozoan family Penetrantiidae.

ABSTRACT: An endolithic lifestyle in mineralized substrates has evolved multiple times in various phyla including Bryozoa. The family Penetrantiidae includes one genus with ten extant and two fossil species. They predominantly colonize the shells of molluscs and establish colonies by chemical dissolution of calcium carbonate. Based on several morphological characters, they were described to be either cheilostome or ctenostome bryozoans. For more than 40 years, neither the characters of species identity and systematics nor the problem of their phylogeny was approached. Consequently, the aim of this study is to reevaluate species identities and the systematic position of the genus Penetrantia by analyzing at least six different species from eight regions with the aid of modern methods such as c

SUBMITTER: Decker SH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10689564 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature