| BRYOZOA : Cheilostomatida : Bryocryptellidae | SEA MATS |
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| Palmiskenea skenei |
Description: This erect branching bryozoan only reaches around 30 mm in height. Branching is dichotomous but irregular, and branches are flattened, occasionally becoming fused. They may have a fuzzy appearance. The zooids are quite variable in shape and can be rectangular, hexagonal or oval and are separated by distinct sutures. The colour of the colony is a pale orange or yellow.
Habitat: On bedrock and boulders below the kelp zone.
Distribution: Scattered records from all around Britain and Ireland, but most records concentrated in the north. Most common in North Channel and west coast of Scotland.
Similar Species: Could be confused with Porella compressa although it is larger and more brightly coloured. Could also be confused with Omalosecosa ramulosa but it lacks the flattened branches.
Key Identification Features:
Distribution Map from NBN: Palmiskenea skenei at National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.
iNaturalist: Palmiskenea skenei at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.
WoRMS: Palmiskenea skenei at World Register of Marine Species.
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| Picton, B.E., Keatley, L. & Morrow, C.C. (2026). Palmiskenea skenei. (Ellis & Solander, 1786). [In] Encyclopedia of Marine Life of Britain and Ireland. https://habitas.org/mbdp/species.php?item=Y3990. Accessed on 2026-11-01 |