| Boltenia ovifera | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Tunicata |
| Class: | Ascidiacea |
| Order: | Stolidobranchia |
| Family: | Pyuridae |
| Genus: | Boltenia |
| Species: | B. ovifera |
| Binomial name | |
| Boltenia ovifera | |
| Synonyms | |
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Boltenia ovifera is a species of ascidian tunicate in the family Pyuridae. It is found in the Arctic to the South of Cape Cod. Boltenia ovifera has an average lifespan of 3 years and it can house small invertebrate creatures like the red king crab. They group in long stalks around 20-30 cm, they are found in the ocean on a substrata around 10-300m. Under a microscope it was observed that they have spines on their external surface. Inside the tunic, no real organized cellular system was observed. It was also noted that they have a single layer heart, where each cell had a single microfibril.
Scientists observed in the areas of sea potatoes, there were anemones and soft corals, which are both “Filter-feeding macroinvertebrates”. More profuse people are around the areas of the sea potatoes. The scientist concluded that the sea potatoes were acting as a “biogenic habitat to enhance local species richness in the rocky subtidal zone” (Francis et al. 1375).
