Pyura dalbyi

Pyura dalbyi (yellow cunjevoi) is a species of large, solitary ascidians, or sea squirts.

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

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. James Edward 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. 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. 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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