Rhopalaea crassa

Rhopalaea crassa

''Rhopalaea crassa'' is a species of tunicate belonging to the family Diazonidae.
Rhopalaea crassa Monument, Lembeh. Night dive. R. crassa is the blue tunicate, here in good company with Clavelina robusta (dark grey and yellow, cyclops-smiley faced tunicate) and Tubastraea coccinea (left side, orange cup cake coral). Geotagged,Indonesia,Rhopalaea crassa,Spring

Appearance

''Rhopalaea crassa'' can reach a length of about 4 cm.
Fluorescent Blue Tunicate - Rhopalaea crassa This Fluorescent Blue Tunicates - Rhopalaea crassa, is around 3 cm in height. Tunicate, also called urochordate , any member of the subphylum Tunicata (Urochordata) of the phylum Chordata. Small marine animals, they are found in great numbers throughout the seas of the world. Adult members are commonly embedded in a tough secreted tunic containing cellulose (a glucose polysaccharide not normally found in animals). The less modified forms are benthic (bottom-dwelling and sessile), while the more advanced forms are pelagic (floating and swimming in open water). A characteristic tadpole larva develops in the life cycle, and in one group (the appendicularians, or larvaceans) the adult closely resembles this larva, which has many features in common with other chordates. Most chordate features disappear at metamorphosis. Fluorescent Blue Tunicate,Geotagged,Philippines,Rhopalaea crassa,Tunicate,Winter,cebu,moal-boal

Distribution

This species can be found in the Indo-West Pacific.

References:

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Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionChordata
ClassAscidiacea
OrderEnterogona
FamilyDiazonidae
GenusRhopalaea
SpeciesR. crassa
Photographed in
Indonesia
Philippines