Distaplia smithi Abbott & Trason, 1968

Lambert, Gretchen, 2019, The Ascidiacea collected during the 2017 British Columbia Hakai MarineGEO BioBlitz, Zootaxa 4657 (3), pp. 401-436 : 414

Distaplia smithi Abbott & Trason, 1968

Figure 7A, B

IHAK 50 BHAK 1724, 1725 UF 2536, 2537. Hakai Passage , Port Reef, Scuba, 21 m.

RHAK 2 BHAK 0603 UF 2461. Goose Island group, Duck Island, low rocky intertidal. Immature colony.

ZHAK 35 BHAK 3250 UF 2568. Sasquatch Commode tidepool.

The unique arrangement of the zooids in double vertical rows can be seen though the translucent tan tunic in the enlarged heads of this stalked species. The orangeish colonies may reach a considerable size with numerous heads and stalks of variable length but often quite long, up to 8 cm. The tunic is smooth on both the stalks and expanded heads with no debris or epibionts. As in all species of Distaplia , the zooids have 4 rows of stigmata, each row crossed by a parastigmatic vessel. For detailed description see Abbott & Trason (1968) and Abbott & Newberry (1980). Distribution: Alaska to central California ( Abbott & Trason 1968; Abbott & Newberry 1980; Lamb & Hanby 2005).

Figures

FIGURE 7. Aplousobranchia. A, B: Holozoidae, Distaplia smithi. A: whole colony. B: enlargement of part of same colony. Scale bars: A, 1.7 cm; B, 0.5 cm. Photo A by G. Paulay.