Dolioletta gegenbauri (Uljanin, 1884)

Franco, P., Dahms, H. - U., Lo, W. - T. & Hwang, J. - S., 2017, Pelagic tunicates in the China Seas, Journal of Natural History 51 (15 - 16), pp. 917-936 : 929

Dolioletta gegenbauri

Morphology

Carrying a small gonozooid (3–9 mm) with a delicate test. The intestine is dextrally coiled and the anus is in a median position. The testis forms an oblique line forward and upward and it extends forward towards the body cavity. The ovary is located ventrolaterally near MVII. The gills form several pairs. They attach anteriorly and dorsally behind MIII, extend rearwards, curve just before MVI and turn forwards to the attachment point at MV. Endostyle is long. Dorsal nerve ganglion is located just behind MIII. The anterior aperture is characterised by a 12-lobed fringe, and the posterior aperture by an eightlobed fringe (authors’ personal observations; Godeaux et al. 1998)).

Biogeography

Records exist from the central, northern and subtropical south Atlantic Ocean; tropical and temperate south-west Indian Ocean, tropical west and south-west Pacific Ocean; and the Mediterranean Sea (WoRMS Editorial Board 2017).