First Record of Freshwater Plumatella emarginata and Plumatella geimermassardi (Bryozoa: Plumatellidae) from Valankulam Lake, Coimbatore City, Tamil Nadu, India

Freshwater bryozoans are unique invertebrates that have complicated life cycles and are sedentary, filter-feeding, colonial organisms. In scientific studies, freshwater bryozoans have gained very little attention. With just 88 species, this group of “moss animals” is spread out among ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers. They widely belong to the freshwater-only phylactolaemate class, while a few species can also be classified as members of the gymnolaemate class, which predominates in marine environments. In this study, we recorded two bryozoan species of Plumatella emarginata and P. geimermassardi for the first time in Valankulam Lake, Coimbatore City, Tamil Nadu, and they were identified and described based on their morphological characteristics.