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A hydroid
Sponge & Cnidarian
A hydroid
Bougainvillia muscus (Allman, 1863)
WoRMS AphialID
117328
Sample IDs
HMSC174_03084 https://bench.boldsystems.org/index.php/MAS_DataRetrieval_OpenSpecimen?selectedrecordid=ATCCN091-24
Collected
Prince Edward Island on wharf pilings.
Distinguishing Features
• Erect and irregularly branched hydroid. Often covered with detritus.
• Branches corrugated at base but not annulated.
• Hydranths have 10–18 tentacles.
• Hydranths pink, red, orange, or purple.
• Gonophores are pear-shaped and have a stalk.
• Colony size very variable: 1 mm up to 1200 mm.
Habitat
Found from the shore down to 100 m. Grows on substrates such as algae and shells.
Geographic Range
Native to Atlantic Europe and the Mediterranean. Widespread in Atlantic and Pacific oceans from col-temperate to tropical regions, regarded as non-native in some locations. Regarded as cryptogenic in Canada.
Fun Fact
The colour of this hydroid changes depending on what it has been eating - it can be pink, orange, or purple. It eats zooplankton.
Barcode Distribution
Records from the USA, Norway, Sweden, Mediterranean, UK, and British Columbia in Canada.
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