(Grønlandskjæret - The Trondheim fjord / 13 meters / 3.01.2003)

Phylum: Chordata

Subphylum: Tunicata

Class: Ascidiacea

Order: Phlebobranchia

Family: Cionidae

Scientific name: Ciona intestinalis

 

Norwegian: tarmsjøpung

Distribution: This sea squirt is common along the entire Norwegian coast. You may find it on hard substrate on all depths down towards 1000 meters.

Characteristics: It comes in shades of green or blue, but the light yellow coloration shown in these pictures are far more common. The body length may reach 25 cm, but 15 cm is normal. The inlet siphon is on the top of the body, while the outlet is found on the side of the body, not far from the top. The siphon margins are often yellow.

This species is very popular among scientists doing research on chordate genetics, due to its very simple genetic structure. This is the banana fly of the chordates.

All pictures: