Watersipora subtorquata is a tiny bryozoan that grows in colonies. They grow on hard surfaces on the sea floor, or on structures such as boat hulls and wharf pylons. Their skeletons are rigid calcium carbonate structures, similar to coral. This species is native to Brazil, Bermuda and the Cape Verde Islands, and it probably arrived in New Zealand some time before 1982 in ballast water or attached to a hull. It is now present at 16 sites.
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NIWA – National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research
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