Common Sea Squirt (Ciona intestinalis)

Common Sea Squirt

Creator: perezoso

Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0

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Species record

Common Sea Squirt

Ciona intestinalis

Explore the Common Sea Squirt (Ciona intestinalis) species record in The Ark Is Earth, including classification, habitat, distribution, conservation information, and sources.

Summary

The common sea squirt is a soft-bodied tunicate that attaches to rocks, docks, and other hard surfaces. It filters plankton and suspended particles from seawater through two siphons.

Classification in this archive

  1. Kingdom: Animals
  2. Phylum: Chordates
  3. Subphylum: Tunicates
  4. Class: Sea squirts
  5. Order: Phlebobranch tunicates
  6. Family: Ciona sea squirts
  7. Genus: Ciona

Habitat and distribution

Selected documented locations — not a complete species range.

Habitat
rocky shores, marinas and docks
Selected regions
Europe, North America

Conservation status

The Ark records: Not Evaluated.

Did you know?

  • An adult Ciona draws water in through one siphon and sends it out through another while filter-feeding.
  • A Ciona larva has a tadpole-like body and a notochord, but the adult attaches to a surface to filter-feed.

More images

A preserved specimen of the common sea squirt (*Ciona intestinalis*) in the Yale Peabody Museum collection.

Preserved specimen of the common sea squirt (*Ciona intestinalis*), Yale Peabody Museum specimen YPM IZ 082346.

Creator: Eric A. Lazo-Wasem

Licence: CC0 1.0

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Sources and attribution