Botrylloides
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The "Chain Sea Squirts or Chain Tunicates" of the genus Botrylloides:
Morphologically similar to Botryllus schlosseri and similarly widespread, Botrylloides is distinguished by having linearly-arranged, parallel "chains" of zooids as opposed to zooids like white or yellow stripes emanating from a common center in Botrylloides.[2]
Both form flat sheets of organisms covering ropes, boat hulls, horseshoe crabs, seaweeds, and basically any still or slow-moving object in saltwater.
Both are relative newcomers to most of the world's harbors, being thought to have appeared within the last 100 years in most harbors and are now found in ports in every ocean worldwide.
Invasive tunicates such as these, Didemnum sp., and Styela clava are a problem for shellfish and other marine life populations, and cause fouling of boats and piers.
[edit] Species include
- Botrylloides leachi
- Botrylloides violaceus
- Botrylloides simodensis
[edit] Notes
- ^ Botryllidae-Wikispecies. Retrieved on February 17, 2007.
- ^ Owen Alger. MarLIN - The Marine Life Information Network. The Marine Biological Association. Retrieved on February 17, 2007.
This category contains articles in the subphylum of urochordata - the tunicates.
[edit] External Links
- http://ip30.eti.uva.nl/bis/tunicata.php?menuentry=soorten&id=20
- http://www.exoticsguide.org/species_pages/b_violaceus.html
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