Golden Star Tunicate - Botryllus schlosseri

ID is for the red, star-like-shaped things.

Habitat: Tidal pools at low tide

comments (6)

Patomarazul

Lion

Oh, wow! This is very nice! Welcome to the underwater world, Christine! Posted 5 years ago
1. Christine Young
  
  Lion
  
  Thanks Marta! I was just wading through tidepools, one of my favorite things to do, but I only get to go once a year. I would love to truly experience the underwater world like you do though!! Someday, I hope :). Posted 5 years ago
2. 1. Patomarazul
    
    Lion
    
    I miss the New England coastline too! Here I Belgium is unfortunately sand and mudd so is not very inviting! I keep telling my husband to go to the Oosterschelde in Holland but he did not seem attracted to cold water diving :-D
    I New England you can see many things in the rocks, so many starfishes, crabs, anemonae, moon snails, lots of lobsters etc..I regret not to have an underwater camera set up at the time I lived there.. Posted 5 years ago, modified 5 years ago
  2. 1. Christine Young
      
      Lion
      
      Yes, there is so much to see! Especially up near Acadia and further east of there. The pools are teeming with life! Schoodic Peninsula in Winter Harbor is an amazing place with lots of sea stars and sand dollars, etc. My favorites were always the sea cucumbers though! I love them, lol. Posted 5 years ago

Flown Kimmerling

Lion

Guh. Brainfarting. Thought I replied to this one too! This is definitely one of my faves out of the coastal stuff so far! Posted 5 years ago
1. Christine Young
  
  Lion
  
  Haha, thanks! I love this one too. There are so many things in this photo and it was super difficult to take photos from above the water as it was moving. And, I was hesitant to pull anything up, in case that would kill it. Posted 5 years ago

The Golden Star Tunicate

"Botryllus schlosseri" is a colonial ascidian tunicate. It is commonly known as the star tunicate, but it also has several other common names, including star ascidian and golden star tunicate. Colonies grow on slow-moving, submerged objects, plants, and animals in nearshore saltwater environments.

Info 5 0

Similar species: Stolidobranchia

Species identified by Christine Young