Bugula neritina

Bugula neritina (commonly known as brown bryozoan or common bugula) is a cryptic species complex of sessile marine animal in the genus Bugula. It is invasive with a cosmopolitan distribution. Bugula neritina is of interest from a drug discovery perspective because it produces the bryostatins, a group of around twenty bioactive natural products. The bryostatins are under investigation as possible therapies for cancer and Alzheimer's disease. Bugula neritina is also of interest in materials science, where it is used as a model organism in biofouling studies.