Species of marine invertebrate
| Microcosmus exasperatus | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Tunicata |
| Class: | Ascidiacea |
| Order: | Stolidobranchia |
| Family: | Pyuridae |
| Genus: | Microcosmus |
| Species: | M. exasperatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Microcosmus exasperatus Heller, 1878 | |
Microscosmus exasperatus is a species of tunicate in the family, Pyuridae, and was first described in 1878 by Camill Heller.
It is found in the warm, temperate and tropical seas of Australia, where it is found on the coastal shelves of New South Wales, the Northern Territory, Queensland, and Western Australia. It is also found in seas off the West Indies, east Africa and in the Red Sea. It has been found on many substrates including "pilings, stones, mangrove roots, and coral reefs, buoys, floats, and vessel hulls".
It is an invasive species, and is now found in the central and eastern Mediterranean, and Pacific oceanic islands. (The Smithsonian considers its native range to be the eastern and western tropical Atlantic, and the Indo-West Pacific.)
This species is often confused with Microcosmus squamiger but has longer spines. It feeds on phytoplankton.
References
- ^ "Species Microcosmus exasperatus Heller, 1878". Australian Faunal Directory. Australian Government. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- Camill Heller (1878). "Beiträge zur nähern Kenntnis der Tunicaten". Sitzungsberichte der Akademie der Wissenschaften mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche Klasse (in German). 77 (1): 1-28 . ISSN 0723-9319. Wikidata Q127657898.
- ^ "Microcosmus exasperatus". invasions.si.edu. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
External links
| Taxon identifiers | |
|---|---|
| Microcosmus exasperatus | |