Microporella pectinata Tilbrook, 2006

Venkatraman, C., Padmanaban, P., Louis, Soja & Shrinivaasu, S., 2018, Marine bryozoans of Gujarat and Maharashtra, Records of the Zoological Survey of India 118 (4), pp. 389-404 : 393

6. Microporella pectinata Tilbrook, 2006 (Plate 4c)

Locality: Piroton Island , Gujarat, 22° 39’ 991 N Substratum: Dead coral rubble .

Description: Colony encrusting; autozooids relatively small; roughly hexagonal, convex, frontal shield nodular. Primary orifice smooth, no condyles visible. Six equally spaced spines, four remaining in ovicellate zooids; ascopore half of orifice length proximal to the orifice, raised, cute to frontal shield, surrounded by a thick rim, its median process small, triangular, opening reniform. Avicularia single or more commonly paired, relatively small, above the lateral walls and surrounded by the lateral wall calcification derived from marginal areolae, positioned slightly distolateral to the ascopore, distally or distolaterally directed, the rostrum abruptly tapered, crossbar complete, mandible setiform, no lateral laminae or basal processes. Ovicell imperforate, not personate, globular, prominent, resting on frontal shield of distal zooid, nodular, a series of ribs and grooves basally, giving a scalloped edge.Ten spines around opesia. Six oral spines; Raised ascopore and positioning of the relatively small avicularia on the lateral walls.

Remarks: Recorded for the first time in India.

Distribution: Solomon Islands, Mbanika Islands, Russel Islands, Anuha Reefs (Florida Islands) and the seas around the China coast.