Pyura dalbyi

Yellow cunjevoi
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Tunicata
Class: Ascidiacea
Order: Pleurogona
Suborder: Stolidobranchia
Family: Pyuridae
Genus: Pyura
Species: P. dalbyi
Rius & Teske, 2011
Binomial name
Pyura dalbyi

Pyura dalbyi (yellow cunjevoi) is a large, solitary ascidian, or sea squirt.

Distribution

This species has been found in several localities in Victoria, south-eastern Australia,[1] and in a single locality in Western Australia (Albany harbour).[2] Unlike other species of cunjevoi in temperate Australasia, P. dalbyi has been found almost exclusively subtidally.[1]

Description

Pyura dalbyi has a yellow, sand-free tunic, a highly conspicuous feature that readily distinguishes it from other species of cunjevoi in temperate Australasia.[2]

Etymology

Pyura dalbyi is named after Dr. J. E. Dalby Jr., who reported distributional, morphometric and ecological differences between this species and its congener P. praeputialis.[2]

Taxonomy

This species is a member of the "P. stolonifera species complex", a group of large ascidians that are often indiscriminately referred to as P. stolonifera in the literature.[2] Genetic data indicate that it is only distantly related to the other two Australasian species in this species complex, P. praeputialis and P. doppelgangera.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 Dalby, J.E., Jr. (1997) Dimorphism in the ascidian Pyura stolonifera near Melbourne, Australia, and its evaluation through field transplant experiments. Marine Ecology, 18, 253–271.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Rius, M. and Teske, P.R. (2011) A revision of the Pyura stolonifera species complex (Tunicata, Ascidiacea), with a description of a new species from Australia. Zootaxa 2754: 27-40 ISSN 1175-5334; article available at: http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2011/f/zt02754p040.pdf
  3. ↑ Teske, P.R. et al. (2011): Nested cryptic diversity in a widespread marine ecosystem engineer: a challenge for detecting biological invasions. BMC Evolutionary Biology 11:176 doi:10.1186/1471-2148-11-176; article available at: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/11/176


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