| Aplidium solidum | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Tunicata |
| Class: | Ascidiacea |
| Order: | Aplousobranchia |
| Family: | Polyclinidae |
| Genus: | Aplidium |
| Species: | A. solidum
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| Binomial name | |
| Aplidium solidum (Ritter & Forsyth, 1917)
[1]
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| Synonyms [1] | |
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Aplidium solidum is a species of colonial sea squirts, a tunicate in the family Polyclinidae. It is commonly known as the red ascidian or sea pork.
Description
Aplidium solidum is a compound tunicate forming sheets or slabs up to 20 cm across on rocks and other hard substrates. The tunic is gelatinous but firm in consistency, 2 to 3 cm thick and a red or pink colour. The individual zooids are bright red, 12 mm long and arranged in small systems. There are usually 13 to 15 rows of gill-like perforations in the pharynx of each. [2] [3]
Distribution
The type location of Aplidium solidum is Pemba Island, Tanzania and it is also found in Australian waters. [1] It occurs on the west coast of North America from British Columbia south to California where it is common on rocks, especially among the holdfasts of kelp forests, and pilings. [2] It occurs in the intertidal zone and at depths down to 40 metres. [3]
Biology
Aplidium solidum is a filter feeder. Water is sucked into the interior of the organism through an oral aperture and then expelled through a larger one, common to all the zooids in the system. Phytoplankton and other small organisms get trapped in mucus threads secreted by the endostyle. [3]
This tunicate breeds in the spring and summer and broods its larvae in its atrial cavity. [3]
The nudibranch, Hermissenda crassicornis, feeds on this tunicate. [2]
References
- ^ a b c Aplidium solidum (Ritter & Forsyth, 1917) World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2011-11-21.
- ^ a b c Aplidium solidum SeaNet. Retrieved 2011-11-21.
- ^ a b c d Aplidium solidum Archived 2012-04-04 at the Wayback Machine WallaWalla. Retrieved 2011-11-21.