Are bryozoans extinct?

About 900 species of stenolaemates have been described. Only one of the four orders that make up the class, the Cyclostomata, is represented by living species; all members of the other three orders (Cystoporata, Trepostomata, and Cryptostomata) are now extinct.

What are bryozoans predators?

Bryozoans eat microscopic organisms and are eaten by several larger aquatic predators, including fish and insects. Snails graze on them, too. Like mussels and other filter feeders, bryozoans gradually cleanse the water as they feed.

Where are the fossils of the Trepostomata found?

Trepostomata, extinct order of bryozoans (moss animals) found as fossils in marine rocks of Ordovician to Triassic age (200 million to 488 million years old). The trepostomes are characterized by colonies in long, curved calcareous tubes, the interiors of which are intersected by partitions.

Where did the fossils of the Bryozoa come from?

It looks like your browser or this site is blocking some scripts or cookies necessary to properly display the viewer. Fossil specimen of the stenolaemate bryozoan (Order Trepostomata) Spatiopora corticans encrusting the shell of a straight-shelled cephalopod; specimen is from the Ordovician Waynesville Formation of Butler County, Ohio.

How is The Cryptostomata related to the chilostomata?

Comparing the Cryptostomata with the other orders of Bryozoa, it is found to be most closely related to the Chilostomata; in fact, the cryptostomatous bryozoans are probably only the Paleozoic representatives of the Chilostomata so abundant in Mesozoic, Cenozoic, and recent times.

Which is the best description of the trepostomes?

The trepostomes are characterized by colonies in long, curved calcareous tubes, the interiors of which are intersected by partitions. The order includes several common and well-known genera, including the Ordovician forms Prasopora and Dekayella. This article was most recently revised and updated by Richard Pallardy, Research Editor.