Lophopodella carteri

The Asian freshwater bryozoan Lophopodella carteri was accidentally introduced to the Great Lakes with imported aquatic plants in the 1930s. Its body fluids are toxic to fish and salamanders. In some areas of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River, L. carteri competes with zebra mussels for substrate and prevents settlement of mussel larvae. Its statoblasts (dormant stages) can be dispersed in ship ballast tanks (Kipp et al. 2010).