Didemnum rodriguesi Rocha & Monniot, 1993

Monniot, Françoise, 2010, Some new data on tropical western Pacific Ascidians, Zootaxa 2561 (1), pp. 1-29 : 9

Didemnum rodriguesi Rocha & Monniot, 1993

( Figures 7C , 8B , 10 )

Didemnum rodriguesi Rocha & Monniot, 1993: 261 . Monniot F. & Monniot C. 2001: 271 and synonymy.

Material. Coll. N.J. Pilcher et al, Viet Nam, Con Son Isl. , Con Dao, 08°45.48’N – 106°39.96’E, 15–20m, 27/ VII/2008, 0PHG 1679-J (A2 DID C 605 ) .

The colonies are pink or peach coloured ( Fig.7C ) in crusts. In life, the common cloacal openings are at the top of low elevations. The colony surface is smooth and does not show the spotty design described in previous collections. Orange inclusions are in the basal layer of the colonies. The zooids ( Fig. 10 ) are small with 6 pointed oral lobes, a wide atrial opening without languet, a single testis vesicle circled by 7 turns of the sperm duct. The larval trunk measures 0.5mm, the tail is wound in ¾ of a turn ( Fig. 10C ). The 3 adhesive papillae are linked with a variable number of vesicles on each side: for example 6 to 8 on a side but 5 to 6 on the other side. The larvae are not gemmiparous. The stellate spicules ( Fig. 8B ) are dense with an average size of 30µm, but some of them reach 40µm.

The geographic distribution is large covering warm waters of all oceans.

Figures

FIGURE 7. A: Didemnum nocturnum. B: Didemnum parau. C: Didemnum rodriguesi. D: Lissoclinum bistratum.

FIGURE 8. Spicules: A: Didemnum parau. B: Didemnum rodriguesi. C: Lissoclinum roseum. D: Lissoclinum timorensis. Scale bars: 10µm.

FIGURE 10. Didemnum rodrigues:i A: abdomen, B: thorax, C: larva. Scale bar: 0.2mm.