Antarctic Cheilostomatous Bryozoa (Oxford Science Publications)

Bryozoans are encrusting colonial organisms which are ubiquitous in freshwater and marine environments. As the dominant sessile organisms of the Antarctic shelf seas, they are a pivotal component of the ecosystem. This is the first identification guide to the Bryozoa. It describes and illustrates all 264 species of cheilostomate Bryozoa which have been recorded from the Antarctic seas. It includes an illustrated dichotomous key to the genera, and for each genus there is a key to Antarctic species. All species are fully described, and a clear diagnosis is given for each genus, family, and superfamily. The book will be of considerable practical use to ecologists, Bryozoan specialists, and marine invertebrate biologists.