INTERZOOIDAL COMMUNICATIONS OF HIPPOTHOA-SENSU-LATO (BRYOZOA) AND THEIR VALUE IN CLASSIFICATION

The interzooidal communications of a number of species of Hippothoa s.1. have been examined. Pore-chambers have a varied morphology. They may be conical or rounded in shape or comprise pocket-shaped or tubular invaginations of autozooidal walls, often flaring distally where they form tubes or otherwise connect with adjacent zooids. Although there are some gradations in the form of the pore-chambers throughout the whole range of Hippothoa species, conical and rounded chambers tend to characterize the strictly uniserial forms and tubular chambers the erustose forms. A consideration of other characters (the ancestrula, early astogeny, polymorphism, anatomy) demonstrates that there are correlated characters to warrent recognition of three generic groupings within Hippothoa s.1. © 1979 Taylor and Francis Ltd.