sea mat
Seamat are small organism that together form large colonies covering the leaves of seaweed or the underside of rocks.
These are small filter feeders that remove the plankton from the seawater.Sea mat is very common, but selden recognized. It forms a slimy crust covering seaweed.
The zooids are in a spiral pattern arranged around the stem of a seaweed that they encrust.
Sea mat or Electra pilosa shows large morphological differences and also high ecological tolerance: they grow in estuaria with fast changing salanity, temperatures and oxygen content.
enemies of sea mat
Sea snails are the largest enemies. For example the sea snail Onchidoris muricata, a white seasnail, feeds on a wide variety of encrusting bryozoans, like Membranipora membranacea and sea mat on the lower shore or on Securiflustra securifrons in the sublittoral.
Tunicata and marine bryozoan from the Northsea.
source:"Der Strandwanderer" by P. Kuckuck. 1905
1 sea mat or Lacy Crust Bryozoan or Membranipora membranacea, a marine bryozoan
2 hairy sea mat or Electra pilosa, a marine bryozoan
3 Broad-Leafed Hornwrack or Flustra foliacea
4 Securiflustra securifrons
5 Crisia eburnea
6 jelly bryozoan or Alcyonidium gelatinosum
7 Sea Squirt or Ascidia virginea
8 Baked Bean Ascidian or Dendrodoa grossularia
9 Crystal Ascidia or Clavellina lepadiformis
P. Kuckuck
Dr Paul Kuckuck is the writer of the book "Der Strandwanderer".
The first edition started in 1905, the last one in 1977.On this website you can find these illustrations :
barnacles
the sea slater
starfish
light-bulb tunicate
Whelks, limpets and periwinkles
Sponges and sea anemones
Cockles
sea beech
Oarweed
teredo worm or shipworm
hydrozoids
sea-lettuce or ulva