Chain Tunicate
Botrylloides violaceus
Despite their plant-like appearance, tunicates are chordates, meaning they are more closely related to humans than to corals or sponges.
- Scientific name
- Botrylloides violaceus
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Ascidiacea › Stolidobranchia › Styelidae › Botrylloides
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- increasing
- Biome
- aquatic
- Habitat
- Shallow coastal waters, estuaries, harbors, and rocky intertidal zones, often encrusting on docks and kelp.
- Diet
- Suspended organic matter and phytoplankton filtered from the water column via siphons.
- Range
- North Pacific Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Coastlines of Australia
- Size
- Colonies typically 10-30 cm across; individual zooids are only 2-3 mm long.
- Lifespan
- Individual zooids live for several weeks, but the colony can persist for years through constant cloning.
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Pollution, heavy sedimentation, and extreme temperature fluctuations, though it is highly resilient.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless to humans. Avoid touching to prevent damaging the fragile colony or accidentally spreading this invasive species to new waters. Wash hands after contact with marine life.
Botrylloides violaceus is a colonial tunicate of the genus Botrylloides . Its native range is in the Northwest Pacific from Southern China to Japan and Siberia. Colonies attach and grow on solid surfaces and substrates, and consist of individuals arranged in twisting rows. Outside its native range, it is considered an invasive species and are becoming more common in coastal waters of North America and other waters around the world, likely being spread by shipping industries.
Photo: Cricket Raspet, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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