What is this thing?!?

GillyWeed · Post by **GillyWeed** » Mon Feb 05, 2007 1:08 pm

This is a little creature I saw on my 99th dive at KVI.

My first thought was some kind of tunicate... But it looks like there is something in there..

As Tom Nic was able to get help identifying his Nudis I thought maybe you all would like my challange...

up close

<img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131 ... sthing.jpg">

farther away

<img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131 ... 007006.jpg">

It was about 6-7" long I think. THANKS!

Zen Diver · Post by **Zen Diver** » Mon Feb 05, 2007 2:27 pm

Definitely a tunicate, it almost looks like the invasive ciona savignyi. Was the end frilly? Do you remember depth?

Check out Janna's page on this one and see if these look like it.

http://pnwscuba.com/critterwatchers/ciona.htm

-Valerie

GillyWeed · Post by **GillyWeed** » Mon Feb 05, 2007 2:54 pm

I don't think it had a frilly end.. It almost looked like it was enclosed completely, which is why I kind of thought maybe not a tunicate. It's defintely bumpy which the invasive tunicates don't look to be... It's not a very good picture, I know.. Depth was probably around 60-70' This was near the end of our dive and we were coming back up from a depth of 85'.

John Rawlings · Post by **John Rawlings** » Mon Feb 05, 2007 4:33 pm

To me, it looks like a Glassy Tunicate, Ascidia paratropa, due to its bumpy appearance. However, I cannot see a second siphon in your photos. Do you recall if there was a second siphon opening?

Take a look at these shots:

http://www.rosario.wwc.edu/inverts/Chor ... tropa.html

http://faculty.washington.edu/bjswalla/ ... allosa.htm

The "object" inside it is probably waste products within its digestive system.

- John

GillyWeed · Post by **GillyWeed** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 7:28 am

I am pretty sure I saw what I thought was a siphon. A tunicate was my first thought. but it looked closed and I couldn't see a second (doesn't mean there wasn't one). The problem with this darn tunicate that it was upside down. the part that was stuck to the rock is the top in the picture and the part that would be the siphons was at the bottom or underneath it..

http://faculty.washington.edu/bjswalla/ ... allosa.htm

This picture seemed pretty close I couldn't get your other picture to load up, just keeps saying page not found. But I think that looks close enough. Thanks John!!!

Cheers!

jeff98208 · Post by **jeff98208** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 8:45 am

i'm not sure what that would be. but i'd like to say congrats on your 100th dive $\:D/$

:wav: :occasion5: :smt038

GillyWeed · Post by **GillyWeed** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 1:26 pm

Thanks Jeff!

nwscubamom · Post by **nwscubamom** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 9:54 pm

John, we're in synch!

Glassy tunicate for sure! Definitely NOT an invasive tunicate. The little bumps on the body are your clues.

Also, what you're seeing inside of it is its digestive tract. That's normal!

Nice find!! I usually only see these up in Canada.

- Janna

GillyWeed · Post by **GillyWeed** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 6:58 am

Well I only saw the one.. So he's going to have to go pretty far to find a date if the only ones you have seen are in Canada. I don't know if we talked about this in the critter class, (if we did I must not have been paying enough attention

) , but does he need a girlfriend to make glassy tunicate babies?

nwscubamom · Post by **nwscubamom** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 9:01 pm

I had thought so, but....whenever I see these there is only ONE of them around. So....not sure!

How's that for a good answer?

- Janna