I'll start this blog with a marine creature I used to look at regularly, but had no idea what I was actually looking at! Below are two photos of a
Magnificent Ascidian (
Botrylloides magnicoecum) taken on the Central Coast, NSW. This species of ascidian is very common around Australia and can be found in many other parts of the world.
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| Magnificent Ascidian - Botrylloides magnicoecum |
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| Magnificent Ascidian - Botrylloides magnicoecum |
The
Magnificent Ascidian is a colonial species, meaning that many individual organisms make up the large community. Individual zooids attach to the larger thumb shaped lobe which form the blue patterns. These small (1-2mm) zooids intake water filled with nutrients which nourish the colony. The large communal siphon at the top of each lobe is used to siphon the used water out of the colony.
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