Botryllus schlosseri
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Botryllus schlosseri |
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Botryllus schlosseri (Pallas, 1766) |
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Alcyonium schlosseri [1] |
The "Golden Star Tunicate" Botryllus schlosseri is an invasive, colonial ascidian tunicate that grows on slow-moving, submerged objects, plants, and animals in nearshore saltwater environments.
Its range has spread over the last 100 years to a nearly worldwide extent. Ranging in the western Atlantic ocean from the Bay of Fundy to North Carolina, this is "the most commmon colonial tunicate in North America." [2] This species can be distinguished from Botrylloides sp. by the pattern of zooid growth. B. schlosseri zooids emanate from a center in the manner of the arms of a star. Also, there usually are fewer zooids per cluster (5-8 in B. schlosseri and 10 or more in Botrylloides).
[edit] External Link
[edit] Notes
- ^ Botryllidae-Wikispecies. Retrieved on February 17, 2007.
- ^ Andrew J. Martinez (2003). Marine Life of the North Atlantic: Canada to New England. Aqua Quest Publications. Retrieved on February 17, 2007.
This category contains articles in the subphylum of urochordata - the tunicates.