Ihlea punctata (Forskal, 1775)

Franco, P., Dahms, H. - U., Lo, W. - T. & Hwang, J. - S., 2017, Pelagic tunicates in the China Seas, Journal of Natural History 51 (15 - 16), pp. 917-936 : 932-933

Ihlea punctata

Morphology

Aggregate form with a thin and fusiform test. Body shape oval to cylindrical. Aggregate form with two rows of pigment spots at each side, from the endostyle to the ventral body surface. Six muscle bands are continuous dorsally but interrupted ventrally. MI– MII unite mid-dorsally, making a group of four muscle bands with MIII and MIV. MV and MVI are united mid-dorsally as well. Ventrally, the muscle bands are asymmetrical. Distinct dextral and sinistral individuals depend on the same morphology. Intestine is coiled. Ovary and embryo are situated on right side between MV and MVI. Solitary form has a thin test which is loosely attached to the body wall. Nine wide body muscles cover almost the whole body. A variable number of body muscles fuse in the mid-dorsal region. Except MVIII all of them are completely continuous around the body. The dorsal tubercle is a short straight stick. The stolon is tightly coiled underneath the nucleus. The length of the aggregated form can be up to 23 mm and the length of the solitary form can reach up to 71 mm (authors’ personal observations; Marine Species Identification Portal 2017).

Biogeography

Cosmopolitan, eurythermal species of temperate and tropical waters, absent from the Red Sea and the subtropical South Pacific Ocean. Epipelagic, living between the surface and about 150 m water depth. It does not migrate vertically. Although Ihlea punctata has a wide distribution, it is one of the less common salpids (WoRMS Editorial Board 2017).