Urochordata
E15072
Urochordata, also known as tunicates or sea squirts, is a subphylum of mostly sessile marine animals whose larvae possess chordate features such as a notochord and dorsal nerve cord.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Tunicata | 1 |
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
subphylum
ⓘ
taxon ⓘ |
| adultDorsalNerveCord | absent ⓘ |
| adultNervousSystem | reduced compared to larva ⓘ |
| adultNotochord | absent ⓘ |
| bodySymmetry |
bilateral (larvae)
ⓘ
often secondarily asymmetrical (adults) ⓘ |
| celluloseComponent | tunicin ⓘ |
| circulatorySystem | open or hemal system ⓘ |
| commonName |
sea squirts
ⓘ
tunicates ⓘ |
| diet |
plankton
ⓘ
suspended organic particles ⓘ |
| distribution | worldwide oceans ⓘ |
| ecologicalRole |
contributors to marine snow
ⓘ
important filter feeders in marine ecosystems ⓘ |
| environment | marine ⓘ |
| evolutionarySignificance | closest invertebrate relatives of vertebrates in many analyses ⓘ |
| feedingType | filter feeder ⓘ |
| fertilization |
external in many species
ⓘ
internal in some species ⓘ |
| fossilRecord | known from at least the Cambrian period ⓘ |
| gasExchange | across pharyngeal basket ⓘ |
| habitat | benthic marine environments ⓘ |
| hasAdultFeature |
excurrent siphon
ⓘ
incurrent siphon ⓘ pharyngeal basket ⓘ tunic ⓘ |
| hasLarvalFeature |
dorsal nerve cord
ⓘ
notochord ⓘ pharyngeal slits ⓘ post-anal tail ⓘ |
| hasSynonym | Tunicata ⓘ |
| heartType | tubular heart that can reverse pumping direction ⓘ |
| includesClass |
Appendicularia
ⓘ
Thaliacea ⓘ
surface form:
Ascidiacea
Thaliacea ⓘ |
| kingdom | Animalia ⓘ |
| larvalMobility | motile ⓘ |
| larvalStage | tadpole-like larva ⓘ |
| metamorphosis | larva transforms into sessile adult in many species ⓘ |
| mobility | mostly sessile as adults ⓘ |
| outerCovering | cellulose-like tunic ⓘ |
| phylum | Chordata ⓘ |
| reproduction |
asexual budding in some groups
ⓘ
sexual ⓘ |
| researchUse | model organisms for chordate evolution ⓘ |
| scientificName | Urochordata self-link ⓘ |
| taxonomicRank | subphylum ⓘ |
Referenced by (5)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.