Styela clava
Encyclopedia
The Stalked Sea Squirt, Styela clava, is a solitary, hermaphroditic, ascidian tunicate
that is found off Australia and New Zealand, both coasts of North America, and Europe.
It is also commonly eaten in Korea, where it is eaten in soup, and is called Mideodeok (미더덕). When the animal is hammered to prepare it as food, it is believed that inhaling some of its tissue can cause asthma. (Body extracts are highly allergenic, but mideodeok preparation often occurs under poorly ventilated working conditions).
Tunicate
Tunicates, also known as urochordates, are members of the subphylum Tunicata, previously known as Urochordata, a group of underwater saclike filter feeders with incurrent and excurrent siphons that is classified within the phylum Chordata. While most tunicates live on the ocean floor, others such...
that is found off Australia and New Zealand, both coasts of North America, and Europe.
These sea squirts are characterized by their brown or yellow, rough and wrinkled surface. They can grow to be about 6 in (15 cm) tall and can be found on lobster pots, pilings, and fishing nets. This species of sea squirts is native to JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It may have been carried to New EnglandNew EnglandNew England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
waters from EuropeEuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
(where it arrived in the early 1950s) in ballastSailing ballastBallast is used in sailboats to provide moment to resist the lateral forces on the sail. Insufficiently ballasted boats will tend to tip, or heel, excessively in high winds. Too much heel may result in the boat capsizing. If a sailing vessel should need to voyage without cargo then ballast of...
water or ship foulingFoulingFouling refers to the accumulation of unwanted material on solid surfaces, most often in an aquatic environment. The fouling material can consist of either living organisms or a non-living substance...
.
It is also commonly eaten in Korea, where it is eaten in soup, and is called Mideodeok (미더덕). When the animal is hammered to prepare it as food, it is believed that inhaling some of its tissue can cause asthma. (Body extracts are highly allergenic, but mideodeok preparation often occurs under poorly ventilated working conditions).
Other names
- Club or Clubbed Tunicate
- Solitary Sea Squirt
- Rough Sea Squirt
- Leathery Sea Squirt
- Asian Sea Squirt
Behavior
Populations around Los Angeles, CA grow 1-1.5 cm/month for 6 months, reaching maturity and slowing growth at about 9 cm in size. Broadcast spawning occurs late spring to early fall. They occur to at least 25 m deep, and filter approximately 150 mL of water / minute / gram body weight.External links
- National Introduced Marine Pest Information System of Australia: Leathery Sea Squirt
- Narragansett Bay Biota Gallery: Asian Stalked Sea Squirt
- National Centre for Aquatic Biodiversity & Biosecurity of New Zealand: Invasive Sea Squirt Fact Sheet
- The Tunicate Styela: A Community Housing Project
- Species Profile- Clubbed Tunicate (Styela clava), National Invasive Species Information Center, United States National Agricultural LibraryUnited States National Agricultural LibraryThe United States National Agricultural Library is one of the world's largest agricultural research libraries, and serves as a National Library of the United States and as the library of the United States Department of Agriculture...
. Lists general information and resources for Clubbed Tunicate.