ABSTRACT
Most bryozoans produce lecithotrophic larvae with a short planktonic life. Among marine invertebrates distance of larval dispersal is partially correlated with time spent in the plankton (Crisp 1976), and this in turn may strongly influence geographical range and genetic structure of populations (Crisp 1978, Jackson 1986, Scheltema 1989). Celleporella hyalina (Linnaeus, 1767) is an encrusting bryozoan that on the base of morphologic characters has been regarded as a cosmopolitan species (Hayward & Ryland 1979,
Moyano 1983, 1986, Cancino 1986, Orellana & Cancino 1991). Such cosmopolitan distribution is incongruent with what is known of the species’ larval biology, since C. hyalina has a larva with a pelagic stage lasting 1.5-4.0 h (Cancino & Hughes 1988). Furthermore, spermatozoid dispersal is also limited, since sperm half-life in C. hyalina does not exceed 2 hours after liberation (Manríquez 2000, Manríquez et al. 2001). This is likely to facilitate reproductive isolation between populations, leading to speciation, with or without inter-population morphological differentiation.
