Polycarpa cf. olitoria ( Sluiter, 1890 )

Lambert, Gretchen, Lee, Serina Siew-Chen & Teo, Serena Lay-Ming, 2021, Ascidians collected during the 2013 Singapore Strait International Marine Biodiversity Workshop, Zootaxa 4933 (1), pp. 1-38 : 25

Polycarpa cf. olitoria ( Sluiter, 1890)

Figure 10B, C

#0154, 5 cm in length. About eight stigmata per mesh. Circular and longitudinal muscles extend all the way to the posterior end on both sides. Stomach folds long and sinuous as described by Kott (1985). Ten rectal lobes, long and fingerlike. Thirteen gonads on the left all anterior to the gut, 24 on the right.

#0171, thin red line around edge of siphons, more noticeable when body removed from tunic. Small siphonal spines visible, as described by Kott (1985). Long thin atrial tentacles at base of atrial siphon. Missing branchial sac and gut.

#4645, 3 cm long. Gonads not fully mature.

#4646, two pale reddish specimens, larger one 5 cm in length. Atrial siphon about halfway to posterior end. Small siphonal spines visible. Short peduncle at posterior end of body visible only when removed from tunic.

Distribution: Australia, Indonesia, Singapore.

References: Kott (1985), Monniot C. (2002 in discussion of P. madagascariensis ), Lee et al. (2013 for details on differences from Kott’s 1985 description; 2016).

Figures

FIGURE 10. A: Polycarpa captiosa dorsal ganglion; B, C: Polycarpa cf. olitoria. B: right side in tunic, 5 cm in length; C: left side removed from tunic showing row of gonads. D: Polycarpa papillata right side, 7 cm in length; E: Styela canopus siphonal scales 15 µm in length; F, G: Symplegma brakenhielmi. F: live colony; G: single preserved zooid from same colony, 3 mm in length.