Appendicularia sp., a genus of fritillariid larvacean
Houses of Bathochordaeus charon (top) and B. stygius (bottom), two species of giant larvacean
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Subphylum:
Tunicata
Class:
Appendicularia Fol, 1872[1]
Order:
Copelata Haeckel, 1866
Families and genera
Kowalevskiidae Lahille, 1888
Kowalevskia Fol, 1872
Fritillariidae Lohmann, 1915
Appendiculariinae Seeliger, 1895
Appendicularia Fol, 1874[2]
Fritillariinae Seeliger, 1895
Tectillaria Lohmann & Buckman, 1926
Fritillaria Fol, 1872
Oikopleuridae Lohmann, 1896
Bathochordaeinae Lohmann, 1915
Bathochordaeus Chun, 1900
Mesochordaeus Fenaux & Youngbluth, 1990
Oikopleurinae Lohmann, 1896
Alabiata Fenaux, 1993[3]
Althoffia Lohmann, 1892
Mesoikopleura Fenaux, 1993
Pelagopleura Lohmann, 1926
Sinisteroffia Tokioka, 1957
Labiata Fenaux, 1993
Chunopleura Lohmann, 1914
Folia Lohmann, 1892
Megalocercus Chun, 1887
Oikopleura Mertens, 1830
Stegosoma Chun, 1887
Synonyms
Larvacea Herdman, 1882
Perennichordata Balfour, 1881
Larvaceans or appendicularians, class Appendicularia, are solitary, free-swimming tunicates found throughout the world's oceans. While larvaceans are filter feeders like most other tunicates, they keep their tadpole-like shape as adults, with the notochord running through the tail. They can be found in the pelagic zone, specifically in the photic zone, or sometimes deeper. They are transparent planktonic animals, usually ranging from 2 mm (0.079 in) to 8 mm (0.31 in) in body length including the tail, although giant larvaceans can reach up to 10 cm (3.9 in) in length.[4]
Larvaceans are known for the large houses they build around their bodies to assist in filter-feeding. Secreted from mucus and cellulose, these structures often comprise several layers of filters and can reach up to ten times their body length. In some genera like Oikopleura, houses are built and discarded every few hours, with sinking houses playing a key role in the oceanic carbon cycle.
^"Appendicularia" (PDF). Australian Government – Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 April 2023. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
^Archives de zoologie expérimentale et générale. Vol. 3. 1874. Archived from the original on 10 April 2023. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
^Fenaux, R.; Bone, Q.; Deibel, D. (1998). "Appendicularian distribution and zoogeography". In Bone, Q. (ed.). The biology of pelagic tunicates. Oxford University Press. pp. 251–264.
^Cite error: The named reference carbon was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
Larvaceans or appendicularians, class Appendicularia, are solitary, free-swimming tunicates found throughout the world's oceans. While larvaceans are...
the giant larvaceans, is a genus of larvacean tunicates in the family Oikopleuridae. They are much larger than other genera of larvaceans, ranging from...
Melastomataceae Larvacean, an animal of the class Appendicularia in the subphylum Tunicata Appendicularia (animal genus), a genus in the larvacean family Fritillariidae...
birds and mammals); Tunicata or Urochordata (sea squirts, salps, and larvaceans); and Cephalochordata (lancelets). The Vertebrates and Tunicates compose...
Bathochordaeus mcnutti, the blue-tailed giant larvacean, is a species of larvacean in the family Oikopleuridae. Found in the North Pacific Ocean, it is...
Kowalevskia is a genus of larvacean tunicates, the only one in the family Kowalevskiidae. Kowalevskia oceanica Lohmann, 1899 Kowalevskia tenuis Fol, 1872...
Bathochordaeus stygius is a species of larvacean in the family Oikopleuridae. "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Bathochordaeus stygius Garstang...
Bathochordaeus charon is a species of giant larvacean, a solitary, free-swimming tunicate that filter feeds in surface waters. The species was named after...
attract prey. A. rosacea mimic fish larvae, A. lucida are thought to mimic larvacean houses, and L. utricularia mimic hydromedusa. The species Resomia ornicephala...
Althoffia is a monotypic genus of larvacean tunicates belonging to the family Oikopleuridae. The only species is Althoffia tumida. The species is distributed...
can reach up to 30 cm (12 in) long.[citation needed] Larvaceans (Larvacea) The largest larvacean is Appendicularia 1 cm (0.39 in) in body length (excluding...
Bruce H.; Reisenbichler, Kim R.; Sherlock, Rob E. (2005-06-10). "Giant Larvacean Houses: Rapid Carbon Transport to the Deep Sea Floor". Science. 308 (5728):...
a urochordate, and probably a stem-group larvacean. Some question the relation to tunicates and larvaceans, as there is no evidence of segmentation in...
cephalochordates (lancelets) and urochordates (sea squirts, salps and larvaceans), as well as in the larvae of some basal vertebrates (specifically the...
Mesochordaeus is a genus of oikopleurid larvacean, related to Bathochordaeus. Mesochordaeus is a comparatively large larvacean, with a tail length reaching up...
to the jelly prey. Phylliroe has been seen approaching a swarm of the larvacean Oikopleura albicans from below, grabbing a specimen with its paired denticulate...
on the ocean floor. Thaliaceans (pyrosomes, doliolids, and salps) and larvaceans on the other hand, swim in the pelagic zone of the sea as adults. Various...
It dwells at depths of up to 100 meters, where it feeds on copepods, larvaceans, small fish, large zooplankton, and other jellies. The sting is mild,...
Oikopleura is a genus of tunicates in the class Appendicularia (larvaceans). It forms a mucus house every four hours at 20 degrees Celsius. This house...
Oikopleuridae is a family of larvacean tunicates. A comparatively species-rich family, it has been especially well-researched thanks to the ubiquity of...
marine snow and fecal pellets or particles such as discarded houses of larvacean tunicates. Based on laboratory experiments on European glass eels, Lecomte-Finiger...
the pelagic post-larvae up to 3–10 cm (1–4 in) in length prey on krill, Larvaceans, decapod larvae, copepods and on small fish. Once they have reached the...
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