Biodiversity & Conservation

Star ascidian - Botryllus schlosseri - General information

Botryllus schlosseri

Image Keith Hiscock - Colony of Botryllus schlosseri on rock. Image width ca 4 cm.
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Distribution map

Botryllus schlosseri recorded (dark blue bullet) and expected (light blue bullet) distribution in Britain and Ireland (see below)

Why do the maps differ?

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Botryllus schlosseri is not listed under any importance categories.

General information

Key Icon Researched by: Dr Keith Hiscock Text page icon Refereed by: This information is not refereed.

Taxonomy icon Taxonomy

Phylum Chordata Sea squirts, fish, reptiles, birds and mammals
Class Ascidiacea Sea squirts
Map icon Recorded distribution in Britain and Ireland Found all around Britain and Ireland
Habitat information icon Habitat information Grows on a variety of stable substrata including algae and artificial substrata. Thrives in sheltered areas including docks. Although mainly found on the lower shore and in shallow depths, Berrill (1950) notes that it has been found at depths of several hundred metres.
Text page icon Description Flat or fleshy colonies with zooids 2-4 mm across arranged in conspicuous star shaped systems, each with a central cloacal opening. Colonies vary greatly in colour including green, violet, brown and yellow.

This review can be cited as follows:

Dr Keith Hiscock 2008. Botryllus schlosseri. Star ascidian. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 24/05/2013]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesfullreview.php?speciesID=2793>