Pleated Sea Squirt
Styela plicata
Summary 4
Styela plicata is a tropical to temperate tunicate that has invaded the Gulf of Mexico by hitching a ride on ships' hulls. This sessile filter feeder can expel water when threatened, leading to the name “sea squirt.” This species is rather hardy; “able to tolerate changes in seawater between 10°-30°C and salinites between 22%-34%” (Thiyagarajan & Qian, 2003) as well as pollution and brackish water. This species is difficult to manage because of the large amount...
Description 5
The pleated tunicate, Styela plicata is a solitary benthic tunicate believed non-native to Florida and the western Atlantic, but occurring there in some abundance. The oval, upright body is covered with a tough and leathery cellulose-containing tunic, with numerous rounded warts and pleated grooves. A pair of short siphons are present.Individuals range in color from light tannish white to gray. Thin red or purple stripes on the insides of the four-lobed siphons are evident as cross-shaped markings at the tips of the closed siphons. Individuals can be found singly or in groups (Carlton and Ruckelshaus 1997, Kaplan 1999, NIMPIS 2002, USGS, ISSG)
Distribution 6
circum-global
Size 7
NIMPIS (2002) reports Styela plicata individuals commonly range from 40-70 mm in size and that they may reach 90 mm.Kott (1972) reports a life span of less than 1 year for S. plicata populations examined from Moreton Bay, Australia.
Look alikes 8
In parts of Florida, Styela plicata may be mistaken for the co-occurring solitary tunicate Molgula occidentalis. This species is smaller and smoother than S. plicata, and side-by-side comparisons should easily differentiate these species. It is somewhat more difficult to distinguish S. plicata from the co-occurring congener (and fellow nonindigenous species) S. canopus (=S. parita). S. canopus is smaller, approximately 20-40 mm, and typically has externally striped siphons.
Reproduction 9
Styela plicata is a protandric hermaphrodite, with individuals starting out as functional males and then becoming functional females later in life. Sequential hermaphroditism insures fertilization through outcrossing. Sperm and eggs are shed to the water column via excurrent siphons and fertilization is external (Yamaguchi 1975, NIMPIS 2002).S. plicata have been reported to reach sexual maturity in 2 months during the summer and 5 months in the winter (Yamaguchi 1975).
Link to Access Genomic Data 10
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=7726&lvl=0
Sources and Credits
- (c) matbio, all rights reserved
- (c) 2010 Moorea Biocode, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=92516&one=T
- (c) 2010 Moorea Biocode, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=92517&one=T
- Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Styela_plicata
- Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/11526849
- Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) WoRMS for SMEBD, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://eol.org/data_objects/29749151
- Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/11526855
- Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/11526852
- (c) Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/11526854
- (c) Emily Rose Sharkey, all rights reserved
