This forms a thin crust on hard surfaces. It can be orange/red, grey to black but it almost always has a dark orange edge to the colony. As the colony grows it may over grow itself leading to a rippled edge to the colony.

Lives on hard surfaces, such as jetty piles or rocks, in the low intertidal to shallow subtidal. It requires a fast water flow.

Feeds on organic matter in the water using a ciliated band of tissue called the lophophore.

This can reproduce sexually (to form a new colony), adults brood the bright red larvae until they are released into the water, where they drift for a day or so before settling onto a hard surface to create a new colony. They can also reproduce asexually with each individual (called zooids) budding to make a clone, this is how the colony grows. It is an invasive species and is tolerant of anti fouling chemicals such as copper normally used on ships hulls. This is how it can move around the world.

Photo Credit: Rod Morris. Photos available from www.rodmorris.co.nz