Fig. 1

Budding sites of Stephanella hina. a View of an elongated distal bud, with two lateral buds and developing statoblasts. b Parts of a retracted colony, showing the cruciform growth of the colonies due to lateral budding. c Close-up of the basal part of a detached, single zooid, showing an early two-layered bud at its base close to the retractor muscle. Abbreviations: ab – advanced bud, b – bud, bs – basal attachment side, cae – caecum, ds – developing statoblasts, en – endocyst, lb – lateral buds, rm – retractor muscle, s – stolon, z – zooid