Tunicates??

[KLR]

Idk if this is the right forum,but I need an id on this invert.

At 1st i thought giant FW's but they do not move,and look like little individual pods clustered together,if you will.

There is one giant one which is pictured and 1 small one which is not.

Are these colonizing tunicates???

 

[akabryanhall]

Not sure what it is, looks crazy though, a little menacing tbh!!

 

[KLR]

Yea it scared me when i first look at it..hahahaha

 

[twinspots_goby]

It does seems to be some kind of tunicate. Very cool looking one.

 

[drainbamage]

well-technically nope, you're in the wrong forum. Tunicates are classed as a vertibrae, though in their adult lifestage they actually no longer possess a spinal cord of any sort. I doubt anyone's going to make a fuss as most group them together with sponges though, hah.

I honestly can't tell by the pic, I'm sure they're small and tough to get a clean shot of, but they do have a lot of resemblances to a colonial tunicate, so I think that's a pretty fair guestimate. Gratz, I've always been of the opinion that the more natural life forms (that aren't a nuisance of course) the better.

 

[KLR]

It does seems to be some kind of tunicate. Very cool looking one.

Thanks

well-technically nope, you're in the wrong forum. Tunicates are classed as a vertibrae, though in their adult lifestage they actually no longer possess a spinal cord of any sort. I doubt anyone's going to make a fuss as most group them together with sponges though, hah.

I honestly can't tell by the pic, I'm sure they're small and tough to get a clean shot of, but they do have a lot of resemblances to a colonial tunicate, so I think that's a pretty fair guestimate. Gratz, I've always been of the opinion that the more natural life forms (that aren't a nuisance of course) the better.

Dang got me! Hahahah I actually did not know that,you learn something every day on here!

Yea they look like tunicates that are the shape of a giant fw,thats why I was unsure..but since they dont move I guess tunicate is a better guess...

 

[drainbamage]

well, do they close up when you move them or press lightly on them? While not mobile, their body can contract to pump water through their feeding chamber.

 

[Wy Renegade]

To be completely honest, its been years since I did any searching on colonial tunicates, but it seems that I vaguely remember something about the colonial ones being able to grow over and kill off corals. Not sure on that and could be totally off base, just seems to stick in my mind. For what its worth, which is probably considerably less than $.02.