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Cryptosula pallasiana Flat-crusted moss animal, Red crust

Cryptosula pallasiana is commonly referred to as Flat-crusted moss animal, Red crust. Difficulty in the aquarium: Not suitable for aquarium keeping. Toxicity: Toxic hazard unknown.

Profilbild Urheber Frédéric Andre, Frankreich

Foto: Fos-sur-Mer, Frtankreich, Mittelmeer

/ 07.11.2025
Courtesy of the author Frédéric Andre, Frankreich . Please visit www.inaturalist.org for more information.

Uploaded by AndiV.

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lexID:
18261 
AphiaID:
111343 
Scientific:
Cryptosula pallasiana 
German:
Flaches Krusten-Moostierchen 
English:
Flat-crusted Moss Animal, Red Crust 
Category:
 
Family tree:
Animalia (Kingdom) > Bryozoa (Phylum) > Gymnolaemata (Class) > Cheilostomatida (Order) > Cryptosulidae (Family) > Cryptosula (Genus) > pallasiana (Species) 
Initial determination:
(Moll, ), 1803 
Occurrence:
Suez-Kanal, Russland, the Black Sea, the North Sea, Alaska East Coast USA, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, British Columbia, California, Canada Western Atlantic, Chile, China, Coral sea (Eastern Australia), Corea, Danmark, East cost of USA, European Coasts, Florida, France, Germany, Greece, Heligoland, Indian Ocean, Japan, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Newfoundland, North Atlantic Ocean, North Pacific (Ocean), Northeast Atlantic, Norway, Nova Scotia, Portugal, Red Sea, South Atlantic, South Shetlands Island , South-Africa, South-Pazific, The Aegan Sea (Mediterranean), the British Isles, the Mediterranean Sea, Ukraine, West Coast USA, Yellow Sea 
Marine Zone:
Intertidal (Eulittoral), intertidal zone between the high and low tide lines characterized by the alternation of low and high tide down to 15 meters 
Sea depth:
0 - 130 Meter 
Habitats:
Bollards, Jetties, Sea bridges, Brackish water, Coral reefs, Estuaries (river mouths), Occurs near jetties, Port facilities, Rocky reefs 
Size:
up to 1.18" (3 cm) 
Temperature:
-0,1 °F - 34,2 °F (-0,1°C - 34,2°C) 
Food:
Adventive species, Bacteria (Bacterioplankton), Filter feeder, Microalgae , Plankton 
Difficulty:
Not suitable for aquarium keeping 
Offspring:
Not available as offspring 
Toxicity:
Toxic hazard unknown 
CITES:
Not evaluated 
Red List:
Not evaluated (NE) 
Related species at
Catalog of Life:
 
Author:
Publisher:
Meerwasser-Lexikon.de
Created:
Last edit:
2026-04-10 13:34:24 

Info

Cryptosula pallasiana forms small, crust-like colonies that can be white, pink, orange, or brown, and sometimes rise up in frills.
This bryozoan settles on seagrass blades, rocks, oysters, pilings, ship hulls, and other hard substrates

Cryptosula pallasiana is a prime example of a species native only to European waters, but which has become an “invasive species” that can now almost be described as cosmopolitan.
The driving force behind its spread is fouling on ship hulls, which allows the bryozoan to travel vast distances.
Cryptosula pallasiana is also highly temperature-tolerant and can survive in brackish water zones with salinity levels up to12‰

Fortunately, no specific economic or ecological impacts of this bryozoan species have been reported to date.

Individual zooids can reach a size of 1 cm.

Synonyms:
Cribrilina pallasiana Moll, 1803 · unaccepted
Eschara pallasiana Moll, 1803 · unaccepted (basionym)
Lepralia pallasiana (Moll, 1803) · unaccepted (synonym)
Lepralia pedilostoma Hassall, 1841 · unaccepted (Subjective synonym)
Lepralia pediostoma Hassall, 1841 · unaccepted (Lapsus)

External links

  1. Atlas of marine-fouling Bryozoa of New Zealand ports and harbours, Seite 29f (en). Abgerufen am 10.04.2026.
  2. Check list of species (algae, invertebrates and vertebrates) found in the vicinity of the island of Helgoland (North Sea, German Bight) - a review of recent records. (en). Abgerufen am 10.04.2026.
  3. Distribution and Ecology of Estuarine Ectoprocts: A Critical Review (en). Abgerufen am 10.04.2026.
  4. Fouling Bryozoa from some Alexandria harbours, EGYPT. (II) Encrusting species (en). Abgerufen am 10.04.2026.
  5. Impact of environmental variables on fouling bryozoan species in the Eastern Aegean Sea (en). Abgerufen am 10.04.2026.
  6. Invasions Nemesis (en). Abgerufen am 10.04.2026.
  7. National Estuarine and Marine Exotic Species Information System (NEMESIS). (en). Abgerufen am 10.04.2026.

Pictures

Commonly

Foto: Fos-sur-Mer, Frtankreich, Mittelmeer
Foto: Fos-sur-Mer, Frankreich, Mittelmeer

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