Eudistoma caeruleum (Blue lollipop ascidian) 

Life > Eukaryotes > Opisthokonta > Metazoa (animals) > Bilateria > Deuterostomia > Chordata > Tunicata > Ascidiacea (sea squirts) > Aplousobranchia > Family: Polycitoridae  > Genus: Eudistoma

Eudistoma caeruleum (Blue lollipop ascidian). Bottom left shows a close-up of a colony showing the paired inhalent and exhalent siphons [photo CL Griffiths ©]

Distribution and habitat

Distribution includes the KwaZulu-Natal and Mozambique coasts, the west coast of Madagascar and Mayotte in the Comoros islands. Occurs in intertidal rock pools, including those with sand in them (Branch et al. 2010).

Links

• Sanamyan, K. (2012). Eudistoma caeruleum (Sluiter, 1909). In: Shenkar, N.; Gittenberger, A.; Lambert, G.; Rius, M.; Moreira Da Rocha, R.; Swalla, B.J.; Turron, X. (2012) Ascidiacea World Database. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) on 2012-02-12.

Publications

• Branch GM, Griffiths CL, Branch ML, Beckley LE. 2017. Two oceans - a guide to the marine life of southern Africa (4th Edition). Penguin Random House South Africa, Cape Town. More details...
• Monniot C, Monniot F and Griffiths CL. 2001. South African ascidians. Annals of the South African Museum 108(1): 1-141.

Text by Hamish Robertson