Oikopleura (Coecaria) longicauda (Vogt, 1854)

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 : 927

Oikopleura (Coecaria) longicauda

Morphology

With a compact trunk up to 1.4 mm in length, with musculature in the broad tail. The post-cardial caecum joins the genital wall of the esophagus and points dorsally. The long velum extends dorsally over the oral part. The rectum is developed beyond the oral wall of the stomach. The gonads join the coil of the gut ( Godeaux et al. 1998; authors’ personal observations).

Biogeography

A semi-cosmopolitan species in temperate to tropical waters (WoRMS Editorial Board 2017).