| Styela plicata | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Tunicata |
| Class: | Ascidiacea |
| Order: | Stolidobranchia |
| Family: | Styelidae |
| Genus: | Styela |
| Species: | S. plicata |
| Binomial name | |
| Styela plicata Lesuer, 1823 | |
Styela plicata, commonly known as pleated sea squirt, is a species of tunicate in the family Styelidae. This sessile filter feeder can expel water when threatened.
Styela plicata is a solitary tunicate. [1] Tadpole larvae measure around 1.3 millimetres (0.051 in). Adults become sexually mature at around 40 millimetres (1.6 in), and were observed to reach this stage in laboratory after around 2 months in summer and 5 months in winter. Individuals live for 3 to 4 months after sexual maturity, independently of seasonal variations, and grow to a maximum size of 60 to 80 millimetres (2.4 to 3.1 in). [2]
In spite of Styela plicata's broad geographial distribution, its native range is still unclear. In 2021, an analysis of 368 individuals for the COI marker genes and 315 for the ANT marker gene from 17 worldwide locations revealed that S. plicata has been present in all studied oceans for a long time. Recurrent colonization events and occasional shuffling among populations have determined the actual genetic structure of this species. [1]
Though the native range of S. plicata is unclear, the prevailing hypothesis is that they originated in the Northwest of the Pacific Ocean and then spread to other warm-water and tropical water bodies by ship fouling. [3] [4] As of 2021, genetic analyses remain inconclusive to either support or refute this hypothesis. [1]
The range of Styela plicata has greatly expanded due to its ability to hitch a ride on ships' hulls. Long distance dispersal of S. plicata most likely takes place through international shipping, while short distance local dispersals take place through recreational boating and local traffic. [1] [5]
Preventative measures include anti-fouling paints, wood preservation, and slime control containing tributyltin.
This species can live in a wide range of conditions, in waters from 10° to 30°C and salinities between 22%-34%. [6] They also tolerate pollution and brackish water. The different life cycle stages of Styela plicata have different habitat requirements for survival. The larval and juvenile stages of Styela plicata live on marinas and docks, oyster reefs, rocks and coarse woody debris: adults prefer marinas, docks and hard rocky substrates. Styela plicata can also live in coral reef habitats, and is found from the low intertidal zone to depths of 30 metres.
A tunicate is an exclusively marine invertebrate animal, a member of the subphylum Tunicata. This grouping is part of the Chordata, a phylum which includes all animals with dorsal nerve cords and notochords. The subphylum was at one time called Urochordata, and the term urochordates is still sometimes used for these animals. They are the only chordates that have lost their myomeric segmentation, with the possible exception of the seriation of the gill slits. However, doliolids still display segmentation of the muscle bands.
Ascidiacea, commonly known as the ascidians or sea squirts, is a paraphyletic class in the subphylum Tunicata of sac-like marine invertebrate filter feeders. Ascidians are characterized by a tough outer "tunic" made of a polysaccharide.
Ciona intestinalis is an ascidian, a tunicate with very soft tunic. Its Latin name literally means "pillar of intestines", referring to the fact that its body is a soft, translucent column-like structure, resembling a mass of intestines sprouting from a rock. It is a globally distributed cosmopolitan species. Since Linnaeus described the species, Ciona intestinalis has been used as a model invertebrate chordate in developmental biology and genomics. Studies conducted between 2005 and 2010 have shown that there are at least two, possibly four, sister species. More recently it has been shown that one of these species has already been described as Ciona robusta. By anthropogenic means, the species has invaded various parts of the world and is known as an invasive species.
Richard Randolph "Randy" Olson is a marine biologist-turned-filmmaker who earned his Ph.D. in Biology from Harvard University (1984) and became a tenured professor of marine biology at the University of New Hampshire (1992) before changing careers by moving to Hollywood and entering film school at the University of Southern California.
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Clavelina picta, common name the painted tunicate, is a species of tunicate, in the genus Clavelina. These animals, like all ascidians, are sessile filter feeders.
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Polyandrocarpa is a genus of ascidian tunicates within the family Styelidae.
Ciona robusta is a species of marine invertebrate in the genus Ciona of the family Cionidae. The holotype was collected on the northeastern coast of Honshu Island, Japan. Populations of Ciona intestinalis known as Ciona intestinalis type A found in the Mediterranean Sea, the Pacific Ocean, east coast of North America, and the Atlantic coasts of South Africa have been shown to be Ciona robusta.
Pyura haustor is a species of sessile ascidian, or sea squirt, that lives in coastal waters in the north-eastern Pacific Ocean, attached to rocks or artificial structures. Common names for this species include the wrinkled seapump, the wrinkled sea squirt and the warty tunicate.
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