Pyura setosa ( Sluiter, 1905 )

Primo, Carmen & Vázquez, Elsa, 2007, Ascidians collected during the Spanish Antarctic expedition CIEMAR 99 / 00 in the Bransfield and Gerlache Straits, Journal of Natural History 41 (29 - 32), pp. 1775-1810 : 1805

Pyura setosa ( Sluiter, 1905)

Halocynthia setosa Sluiter, 1905 ; Sluiter 1906; Herdman 1910, 1912, 1923.

Pyura setosa: Hartmeyer 1911 ; Van Name 1945; Kott 1954, part 1969; Millar 1960, 1968; Vasseur 1974; Monniot and Monniot 1983; Tatián et al. 1998a, 1998b; Ramos-Esplá et al. 2005.

Distribution

New record: Bransfield Strait (Station B1: five specimens; Station B3: two specimens; Station B7: two specimens; from 15 to 50 mm height). Previously recorded: Antarctic continent, South Shetland and South Orkney Islands ( Kott 1954; Millar 1960; Monniot and Monniot 1983; Tatián et al. 1998a, 1998b; Ramos-Esplá et al. 2005). From 18 to 400 m depth.

Remarks

The description of our specimens agrees with that of Monniot and Monniot (1983), except for the specimens from Station B3, both small (up to 20 mm) and very damaged. Although the external characteristics coincide, one of the specimens has eight branchial folds on the left side (on the right it has the six branchial folds characteristic of the species), the fourth being not well developed. The other one is internally smashed and no structure can be recognized.