Description:
Bowerbankia gracilis colonies are generally pale yellow to tan in color and form tangled masses in hydroids, algae, seagrasses, or other substrata.  Individuals of the colony, called zooids are tubular in shape and are attached by their bases to the stem-like stolon where they are arranged either alone, in pairs, or in clumps. Stolons measures approximately 1/1000th of an inch in diameter. Individual zooids differ in size depending on whether the horseshoe-shaped lophophore, which surrounds the mouth, is extended or not.  The lophophore, which is typically not pigmented, measures approximately 0.02  X 0.04 inches while expanded and bears 8 tentacles.  

Habitats:
Typical habitats for bryozoans in the Indian River Lagoon include seagrasses, drift algae, oyster reef, dock, pilings, breakwaters, and man-made debris. In the IRL, B. gracilis was found primarily on seagrasses, but also on wood, dead shells, and aluminum cans. Coastally, it was found on algae, dead shells, hydroids and on other bryozoans.   It is collected year-round at coastal sites, and from December through June at IRL sites. Colonies having embryos are observed in March.   It is generally collected in areas of the IRL where salinity remains below 30‰. 

Range:
Bowerbankia gracilis is most likely cosmopolitan in shallow waters. In the western Atlantic, its range extends from Greenland south to Brazil.  It is widely distributed throughout the Indian River Lagoon and along the Florida coast.