List of tunicates of Ireland
Appearance
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/Uroc005b.png/400px-Uroc005b.png)
Internal anatomy of a generalised tunicate
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/Polycarpa_pomaria_B151956.jpg/220px-Polycarpa_pomaria_B151956.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Molgula_oculata_001.png/220px-Molgula_oculata_001.png)
There are 81 species of tunicate (subphylum Tunicata) recorded in Ireland.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Class Ascidiacea (sea squirts)
[edit]Order Aplousobranchia
[edit]Family Clavelinidae
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/af/Clavelina_lepadiformis_02.jpg/220px-Clavelina_lepadiformis_02.jpg)
- Clavelina lepadiformis (light-bulb sea squirt)
Family Didemnidae
[edit]- Didemnum fulgens
- Didemnum maculosum
- Didemnum vexillum (carpet sea squirt, an invasive species recorded in Strangford Lough in 2012)[7]
- Diplosoma listerianum
- Diplosoma spongiforme
- Lissoclinum perforatum
- Trididemnum cereum
- Trididemnum tenerum
Family Holozoidae
[edit]Family Polycitoridae
[edit]Family Polyclinidae
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/BritishTunicataPlate54.jpg/220px-BritishTunicataPlate54.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Polyclinum_aurantium.jpg/220px-Polyclinum_aurantium.jpg)
- Aplidium densum
- Aplidium elegans
- Aplidium glabrum
- Aplidium nordmanni
- Aplidium pallidum
- Aplidium proliferum
- Aplidium punctum
- Aplidium turbinatum
- Morchellium argus (red-flake ascidian)
- Polyclinum aurantium
- Synoicum incrustatum
- Synoicum pulmonaria
Family Pycnoclavellidae
[edit]Order Phlebobranchia
[edit]Family Ascidiidae
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Phallusia_mammillata.jpg/220px-Phallusia_mammillata.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fb/Ascidia_mentula.jpg/220px-Ascidia_mentula.jpg)
- Ascidia conchilega
- Ascidia mentula
- Ascidia virginea
- Ascidiella aspersa
- Ascidiella scabra
- Phallusia mammillata
- Ciona intestinalis (vase tunicate)
Family Corellidae
[edit]Family Diazonidae
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Diazona-violacea.jpg/220px-Diazona-violacea.jpg)
Family Perophoridae
[edit]Order Pleurogona
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/03/Dendrodoa_grossularia_B155581.jpg/220px-Dendrodoa_grossularia_B155581.jpg)
- Botrylloides leachii
- Botryllus schlosseri (star ascidian / golden star tunicate)
- Dendrodoa grossularia
- Distomus variolosus
- Polycarpa fibrosa
- Polycarpa gracilis
- Polycarpa pomaria
- Polycarpa scuba
- Stolonica socialis
- Styela clava (stalked sea squirt, club sea squirt, club tunicate, Asian tunicate, leathery sea squirt, rough sea squirt)
- Styela coriacea
Order Stolidobranchia
[edit]Family Molgulidae (sea grapes)
[edit]Pelagic tunicates (free-swimming)
Class Appendicularia (larvaceans)
[edit]Family Oikopleuridae
[edit]5 species
Family Fritillariidae
[edit]4 species
Family Doliolidae
[edit]3 species
7 species
Order Pyrosomida (pyrosomes)
[edit]Family Pyrosomatidae (pyrosomes)
[edit]1 species
References
[edit]- ^ "Species Browser".
- ^ "Tunicates: Britain / Ireland".
- ^ "Tunicates - Urochordata - Overview - Encyclopedia of Life". Encyclopedia of Life.
- ^ "Encyclopedia of Marine Life of Britain and Ireland".
- ^ Farran, G. P.; Southern, R. (1911). "Part 21. Tunicata and Hemichorda". Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. Section A: Mathematical and Physical Sciences. 31: 21.1 – 21.4. JSTOR 20520562.
- ^ Thompson, William (1844). "Report on the Fauna of Ireland, Div. Invertebrata".
- ^ "Carpet sea squirt 'found in lough'". Belfasttelegraph.
Identification
- Harant, H. & Vernieres P., 1933. Tuniciers I. Faune de France n° 27 101 p., 94 fig.PDF (4 Mo)
- Harant, H. & Vernieres P., 1938 Tuniciers II. Faune de France n° 33 60 p., 64 fig. PDF (2 Mo)