Styela angularis

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Styela angularis
Styela angularis at Windmill Beach PA111729.jpg
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Tunicata
Class: Ascidiacea
Order: Stolidobranchia
Family: Styelidae
Genus: Styela
Species:S. angularis
Binomial name
Styela angularis
(Stimpson, 1855) [1]
Synonyms   [1]
  • Cynthia angularisStimpson, 1855
  • Tethyum costatumHartmeyer, 1911
  • Styela costata(Hartmeyer, 1911)

The angular sea squirt, Styela angularis, is a solitary, hermaphroditic ascidian tunicate that is found along the coast of Southern Africa from Lüderitz Bay in Namibia to the Eastern Cape. [2]

Tunicate Subphylum of chordates

A tunicate is a marine invertebrate animal, a member of the subphylum Tunicata. It 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.

Lüderitz Bay

Lüderitz Bay or Lüderitzbaai, also known as Angra Pequena, is a bay in the coast of Namibia, Africa. The city of Lüderitz is located at the edge of the bay.

Eastern Cape Province of South Africa

The Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are Port Elizabeth and East London. It was formed in 1994 out of the Xhosa homelands or bantustans of Transkei and Ciskei, together with the eastern portion of the Cape Province. It is the landing place and home of the 1820 Settlers. The central and eastern part of the province is the traditional home of the Xhosa people.

Contents

Description

Order of 100 millimetres (3.9 in) tall, with a tough flexible opaque hexagonal test tapering down to a narrow base peduncle. Stands upright on the substrate. Cloacal siphon terminal, and oral siphon slightly ventral and posterior.

Behaviour

Occurs singly on rocks or other hard surfaces where water is clean and fairly fast moving. Often covered by epibionts.

Epibiont organism that lives on the surface of another living organism

An epibiont is an organism that lives on the surface of another living organism. An epibiont is, by definition, harmless to its host and in this sense, the interaction between the two organisms can be considered neutralistic or commensalistic.

Related Research Articles

<i>Styela</i> genus of chordates

Styela is a genus of tunicates. Styela clava, an edible species, is known as an invasive species in some areas.

Eusynstyela is a genus of ascidian tunicates in the family Styelidae.

<i>Pycnoclavella diminuta</i> species of chordates

Pycnoclavella diminuta, known as the white-spotted sea squirt, white-spot ascidian, and white-spotted ascidian, is a species of tunicate, in the genus Pycnoclavella. Like all ascidians, these sessile animals are filter feeders.

Phallusia is a genus of tunicates of the family ascidians, which includes the following species:

<i>Phallusia nigra</i> species of chordates

Phallusia nigra is a solitary marine tunicate of the ascidian class found in tropical seas around the world. It usually lives in shallow waters, attached to any hard substrate.

<i>Ascidiella aspersa</i> species of chordates

Ascidiella aspersa is a species of solitary sea squirts native to the northeastern Atlantic, from the Mediterranean Sea to Norway. They possess oval bodies up to 50 to 130 mm in length. Their branchial siphons are conical and positioned at the top of the body. They possess six to eight lobes. The atrial siphons are located at the upper third of the side of the body and possess six lobes. The body is covered by a firm transparent test that is greyish to brown in color. The test often snag detritus that remain loosely attached to the animal. When expanded, at most 40 tentacles can be observed on the inside surface of the branchial wall. Both the openings of the branchial and atrial siphons possess lighter colored ridges on their rims. They may also be frilled at times. A. aspersa are attached to the substrates by the left side of their bodies. They can be found in dense groups of unfused individuals on hard surfaces like rocks. at depths of up to 90 m (300 ft).

Styelidae family of tunicates

Styelidae is a family of ascidian tunicates.

Bathyoncus is a genus of ascidian tunicates in the family Styelidae.

Bathystyeloides is a genus of ascidian tunicates in the family Styelidae.

Monandrocarpa is a genus of ascidian tunicates in the family Styelidae.

Seriocarpa is a genus of ascidian tunicates in the family Styelidae.

Tibitin is a genus of ascidian tunicates in the family Styelidae.

Minipera is a genus of ascidian tunicates in the family Molgulidae.

Namiella is a genus of ascidian tunicates in the family Molgulidae.

Protomolgula is a genus of ascidian tunicates in the family Molgulidae.

Bathypyura is a genus of ascidian tunicates in the family Pyuridae.

Bolteniopsis is a genus of ascidian tunicates in the family Pyuridae.

Cratostigma is a genus of ascidian tunicates in the family Pyuridae.

Heterostigma is a genus of ascidian tunicates in the family Pyuridae.

Culeolus elegans is a species of ascidian tunicates in the family Pyuridae. It is found in New Caledonia.

References

  1. 1 2 Rosana Moreira da Rocha & Karen Sanamyan (2013). Shenkar N, Gittenberger A, Lambert G, Rius M, Moreira Da Rocha R, Swalla BJ, Turon X, eds. "Styela angularis (Stimpson, 1855)". Ascidiacea World Database. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved May 17, 2013.
  2. ↑ Monniot, C; Monniot, F; Griffiths, C.L; Schleyer, M (2001). "South African ascidians". Annals of the South African Museum . 108 (1): 1–141. ISBN   0868131806.


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