Description:
Schizoporella floridana colonies are encrusting, and appear in a variety of forms: unilaminar, multilaminar, foliacious, or tubular.  Zooids are rectangular in shape and measure an average of 0.02 X 0.01 inches. Specimens from the Indian River Lagoon are heavily calcified, granular in texture, and have a number of large pores perforating the calcification.  Avicularia are rounded at the base, with pointed mandibles, and may occur singly or in pairs just under the orifice.  The horseshoe-shaped lophophore surrounding the mouth measures approximately 0.02 inches in diameter and bears an average of 17 tentacles.

Habitat:
Typical habitats for bryozoans in the Indian River Lagoon include seagrasses, mangrove roots, drift algae, oyster reef, dock, pilings, breakwaters, and man-made debris.   In the Indian River Lagoon, S. floridana was typically found encrusting the seagrass Thalassia.  However, colonies settling on Thalassia tend to remain small, and do not become multiserial.  S. floridana does not routinely occur along Florida's east coast. Further, the massive, coral-like colonies S. floridana is reported to form along the Gulf coast of Florida, do not form in the Indian River Lagoon. 

Range:
Schizoporella floridana occurs from Beaufort, North Carolina to the Caribbean. It is likely to be found throughout the Indian River Lagoon in association with seagrass beds, especially Thalassia.