Dittosaria wetherelli

Dittosaria wetherelli

Busk, 1866

Common name Bryozoan
Fossil group Bryozoans
Order Cheilostomatida
Family Pasytheidae
Genus Dittosaria
Taxonomic status Accepted
Geological age Ypresian

Summary

Dittosaria wetherelli was a small colonial cheilostome bryozoan and is the type species of Dittosaria. The colony consisted of many connected zooids, each capable of extending a lophophore to capture suspended microscopic food, so the whole colony acted as a fixed suspension-feeding structure.

The species is recorded from the Ypresian of England. Its delicate colonial skeleton is liable to break into short branches or fragments, meaning that microscopic zooid arrangement and apertural details are more reliable for identification than the overall size of a collected piece.

Quick Identification

Look for: a delicate calcified bryozoan branch or colony fragment with repeated zooid openings arranged in a regular series; examine the zooids under magnification and do not identify a smooth broken twig-like fragment by shape alone.

Diagnostic Features

  • Colony delicate and branching, composed of serially repeated zooids.
  • Zooids show a regular arrangement along the branch.
  • Apertures are discrete and consistently oriented when unworn.
  • Branch cross-section and zooid budding pattern are characteristic of Dittosaria/Pasytheidae.
  • Species-level identification requires preserved zooid architecture rather than only gross colony form.

Fossil Details

Fossil material
Bryozoan Colony
Preservation
Delicate branches fragment readily and may be mistaken for other small calcareous fossils. Abrasion removes aperture detail and recrystallisation may merge zooid boundaries. Use magnification and comparative material.

Recorded Fossil Sites

References

  • Bock, P. (editorial catalogue); Busk, G. original taxon. (1866). Dittosaria Busk, 1866: taxonomic catalogue entry. Bryozoa.net View reference
  • Taylor, P. D. (2022). The contributions to bryozoology of J. W. Gregory (1864–1932). Bryozoan literature / Natural History Museum repository View reference
Last Reviewed
16 August 2026 Reviewed by Sam Harris