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Vase tunicate
Ascidian
Vase tunicate
Ciona intestinalis (Linnaeus, 1767)
WoRMS AphialID
103732
Sample IDs
HMSC174-00351 https://bench.boldsystems.org/index.php/MAS_DataRetrieval_OpenSpecimen?selectedrecordid=ATCAS023-23; HMSC174-03542 https://bench.boldsystems.org/index.php/MAS_DataRetrieval_OpenSpecimen?selectedrecordid=ATCAS066-24; HMSC174-03543 https://bench.boldsystems.org/index.php/MAS_DataRetrieval_OpenSpecimen?selectedrecordid=ATCAS067-24
Collected
Southern Shore NS, Grand Manan NB, SCUBA-hand collection on rocks and hand collection from submerged dock tires, 1-8 m depth.
Distinguishing Features
• Form: tall, slender and the test is a transparent whitish-yellow.
• Siphons: with yellow rings around the siphon openings and small red dots in around periphery.
• Branchial sac: no folds, straight stigmata and prominent curved papillae.
• Gut: short, nearly horizontal and below to branchial sac.
• Gonads: below the branchial sac with the gut loop.
Habitat
Found on pilings and hard substrates, 0-457 m depth.
Geographic Range
Native to Europe from Norway to Spain, it is invasive to the northwest Atlantic from Newfoundland to Long Island Sound, Iceland, South Africa and the northwest Pacific.
Fun Fact
Its scientific name is derived from the Greek word kion (pillar) and the Latin word intestinum (intestines), translating to “pillar of intestines”.
Barcode Distribution
BIN matching Europe and Canada.
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