A comparison of the early astogeny and life history of Celleporella carolinensis and Celleporella hyalina.

Early astogeny and life history in two species of the cheilostome genus Celleporella , whose ranges overlap at Woods Hole, Massachusetts, were compared in a controlled laboratory environment. C. hyalina and C. carolinensis showed distinctive early budding patterns and differed in certain life-history parameters. C. carolinensis became reproductive earlier and at a smaller size than C. hyalina , and also behaved differently in reproductive isolation. Both species produced basal and frontal sexual zooids, contradicting earlier reports suggesting that a unilaminar colony is one of the main features that set C. carolinensis apart from C. hyalina . Furthermore, the astogeny and reproductive behaviour of C. hyalina from Woods Hole differ from those of C. hyalina from North Wales.