Didemnum granulatum Tokioka, 1954

Kott, Patricia, 2007, New and little-known species of Didemnidae (Ascidiacea, Tunicata) from Australia (part 4), Journal of Natural History 41 (17 - 20), pp. 1163-1211 : 1181-1182

Didemnum granulatum Tokioka, 1954

( Figure 8E ) Didemnum (Didemnum) moseleyi f. granulatum Tokioka 1954, p 244 ; Kott 2001, p 188 and synonymy; 2004b, p 2493 and synonymy.

Distribution

Previously recorded (see Kott 2004b): Western Australia (Cervantes, Montebello Is); Queensland (Whitsunday Is, Hardy Reef, Bowden Reef); Northern Territory (Darwin,

Bathurst I.); Western Pacific ( Palau Is , French Polynesia, Tokara Is , Fiji, Hawaii). New record: Queensland (Great Barrier Reef: 18.325 ° S, 146.595 ° E, 42 m, QM G308843 ) .

Description

A thin sheet-like colony. The stellate spicules are crowded throughout and are small (to 0.038 mm diameter) with five to nine rays in optical transverse section. Zooids are small with a long oesophageal neck. The spicules resemble, but are smaller than, those of Didemnum perplexum and the zooids are a similar size but with a shorter branchial siphon.

Figures

Figure 8. Scanning electron micrographs. (A) Didemnum coralliforme (QM G308861); (B) Didemnum crescente (QM G308815); (C) Didemnum fragum (QM G308826); (D) Didemnum grande (QM G308867); (E) Didemnum granulatum (QM G308843); (F) Didemnum jedanense (QM G308846); (G) Didemnum lissoclinum (QM G308814); (H) Didemnum mantile (QM G308887).