Styela plicata
| Styela plicata | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Tunicata |
| Class: | Ascidiacea |
| Order: | Stolidobranchia |
| Family: | Styelidae |
| Genus: | Styela |
| Species: | S. plicata |
| Binomial name | |
| Styela plicata Lesuer, 1823 | |
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 of fluctuation in its population; a colony may be large one year and absent the next. Preventative measures include anti-fouling paints, wood preservation, and slime control containing tributyltin.
References
- Pagad, Shyma. "Styela plicata (tunicate)". Global invasive species Database. Retrieved 2011-03-29.
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