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Sea Squirt, Clubbed Tunicate

Styela clava

Tunicate, Club
Sea Squirt, Asian
Sea squirt, Pacific Rough
Sea squirt, Leathery

Invasive Species

Chordata

Ascidiacea

Styelidae

Rocky Shore Intertidal
Rocky Shore Intertidal
Rocky Reef Subtidal
Rocky Reef Subtidal

Feeding:
Filter Feeder
Filter Feeder
Distribution:
World Wide
World Wide
Edibility:
Unknown Edibility
Unknown Edibility
Size:
Hand Sized
Hand Sized



Clubbed tunicates are long, club-shaped body on a tough stalk. Its surface is tough, leathery, rumpled, and nobbly. They can be a range of different colours from brown, to red to yellow and sometimes will have some white patches on them. They can grow up to 160 millimetres long.


They like to be in shallow, sheltered areas but can be found in water depths of 25 metres.


Feed on plankton and organic material


Clubbed tunicates are hermaphrodites however they need both males and females present to reproduce. They live in large clusters of 500-1500 individuals per m2. Clubbed tunicates can live for up to 2 years.


This is an INVASIVE SPECIES


https://marinebiosecurity.org.nz/styela-clava/ https://niwa.co.nz/coasts-and-oceans/faq/invasive-sea-squirt-styela-clava-fact-sheet