Name
Ascidia
marine syringe, sea squirts
Framing
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Tunicata
Class: Ascidiacea
Genus: Ascidia
Habitat
Aquatic, marine. Benthic, fixed to hard substrates.
Feeding
Filter. The larva of the sea squirts does not filter because it does not have open siphons. After metamorphosis, the siphons open and the animal can begin to filter water and, therefore, to feed.
Distribution
The genus is represented in all seas except the Arctic.
Conservation status
There is no species of the genus listed as threatened.
Additional information
Ascidiaceous, 6-14 cm long, with the inhalant and exhalant siphons widely separated. Sessile and solitary. About 2300 species of ascidians are known, and three main types: solitary ascidians, social ascidians and compound ascidians.
Additional information
Bibliography
- Millar, R.H. (1971). The Biology of Ascidians. In: F. S. Russell, M. Yonge (Eds.),
Advances in Marine Biology (Vol. 9 pp.1-100), Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2881(08)60341-7.
- Stoecker, D. (1980). Chemical defenses of Ascidians against predators. Ecology, 61(6), 1327-1334. https://doi.org/10.2307/1939041