Synoicum sp.

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 : 1791-1792

Synoicum sp.

( Figures 13 , 14 )

Distribution

New record: Bransfield Strait (Station: B6 one specimen). 138 m depth. Description

The colony (28 mm height) has a curious cylindrical form, attached to small rocks by its basal half, with two extensions (probably common cloacal openings) at the top, so that it could be confused with a solitary ascidian ( Figure 13 ). Tunic is soft, pink, with some incrusted sand.

The small zooids (up to 7 mm) have a six-lobed oral siphon and a tubular cloacal one with a dorsal tri-lobed languet ( Figure 14 ). The thorax is much contracted and it contains a lot of reserve material, so it was impossible to count the number of rows of stigmata. The stomach is smooth-walled and the gut seems not to be differentiated. All of them are immature.

Remarks

Because of the low number of zooids in the colony and their bad preservation it was impossible to identify them to species level.

Figures

Figure 13. Synoicum sp., colony from two perspectives.

Figure 14. Synoicum sp., zooid.