Ciona intestinalis (Linnaeus, 1767)
IUCN
NCBI
EOL Text
The Ciona intestinalis, and all tube tunicates, are thought to occupy a special evolutionary position because they contain a notochord and branchial basket, structures found mainly in chordates (Larousse 1967).
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| Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2013, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
| Source | http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Ciona_intestinalis/ |
This species is a simple, solitary ascidian, with a thin outer covering or tunic. Overall shape is cylindrical, similar to a vase. The body measures 4-15 cm in length, and attaches to the substrate at its base. The oral and atrial siphons are positioned close together at the anterior end of the body. Overall, the tunic is smooth and translucent, lacking any pigment flecks. A diagnostic red spot at the end of the sperm duct is visible through the tunic.
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| Rights holder/Author | Frey, Melissa, Frey, Melissa, Marine Invaders of the NE Pacific |
| Source | http://marineinvaders.lifedesks.org/pages/585 |
plankton feeder
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| Source | http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=103732 |
Ciona intestinalis is a large solitary sea squirt which grows up to 15 cm in length. The body is soft, retractile and a pale translucent greenish/yellow, through which the internal organs are visible. Sometimes there are orange bars on the body. There are two openings or siphons which may have yellow margins with orange/red pigment spots.Also sometimes known as a sea vase.
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| Rights holder/Author | ©1998-2011, The Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom |
| Source | http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesinformation.php?speciesID=2991 |
The life span of most ascidians is about one year (Grzimek 1972). The Ciona intestinalis is hermaphroditic and releases sperm and eggs through the exhalent siphon. Fertilization occurs at sea, and a tadpole-like larva is formed about 25 hours later. The larva lasts about 36 hours, depending on the temperature of the area, after which it settles and metamorphoses into an adult (Coleman 1991).
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| Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2013, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
| Source | http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Ciona_intestinalis/ |
semi-cosmopolitan
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| Rights holder/Author | This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License |
| Source | http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=103732 |
The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.
There are 47 barcode sequences available from BOLD and GenBank.
Below is a sequence of the barcode region Cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI or COX1) from a member of the species.
See the BOLD taxonomy browser for more complete information about this specimen and other sequences.
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Ciona intestinalis is well distributed throughout the world, including many European oceans (Ricketts, et al 1985).
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| Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2013, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
| Source | http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Ciona_intestinalis/ |
Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 98
Specimens with Barcodes: 99
Species With Barcodes: 1
Ciona intestinalis has been introduced in the Northeast Pacific, with records ranging from Washington to Mexico. This species also has been collected from other locations around the world, including parts of South Africa, southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, and South America. In the Atlantic, the species is cryptogenic, with a geographical range that includes northeast United States, Canada, and Greenland, and stretches across northern Europe, Great Britain, and the Mediterranean. Its native geographical range likely includes northern Europe, but remains unclear (Therriault and Herborg 2008, Zhan et al. 2010).
| License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
| Rights holder/Author | Frey, Melissa, Frey, Melissa, Marine Invaders of the NE Pacific |
| Source | http://marineinvaders.lifedesks.org/pages/585 |