Microcosmus exasperatus Heller, 1878

A. Palomino-Alvarez, Lilian, Moreira Rocha, Rosana & Simoes, Nuno, 2019, Checklist of ascidians (Chordata, Tunicata) from the southern Gulf of Mexico, ZooKeys 832, pp. 1-33 : 1

Microcosmus exasperatus Heller, 1878 Fig. 4R

Material examined.

CAGoM-0131, B10, 11 m, 17-06-2015, leg. L. Palomino-Alvarez; CAGoM-0048, Pro 1, 8 m, 26-05-2015, leg. L. Palomino-Alvarez; CAGoM-00476, Chp 1, 5 m, 26-05-2015, leg. L. Palomino-Alvarez; CAGoM-0731, Sis, 1 m, 21-03-2018, leg. L. Palomino-Alvarez.

Remarks.

Can be very common on mangrove prop roots in the Caribbean Sea (Panama - Rocha el al. 2005, Venezuela - Rocha et al. 2010). Here we found it mainly in harbors, with> 20 specimens found in Sisal harbour, suggesting that it was introduced.

Global distribution.

United States ( Van Name 1921, 1945), Bermudas ( Berrill 1932; Monniot 1972), Jamaica ( Heller 1878; Goodbody 2003), Belize ( Goodbody 2000), Panamá ( Collin et al. 2005; Carman et al. 2011), Curaçao ( Van Name 1924; Millar 1962; Goodbody 1984), Venezuela ( Rocha et al. 2010; Carballo-Pérez and Díaz 2011), Tobago ( Cole 2012), Martinique ( Gravier 1955; Monniot 2018c), Antilles ( Sluiter 1898; Van Name 1921, 1931), Guadeloupe (Monniot 1983), Brazil ( Rodrigues 1962; Rodrigues et al. 1998; Monniot and Monniot 2001; Rocha et al. 2012; Rocha and Costa 2005; Rocha and Kremer 2005; Rocha et al. 2005), Azores ( Harant 1929), Cape Verde ( Harant 1929), Mediterranean sea ( Streftaris et al. 2005; Turon et al. 2007), Red Sea ( Shenkar 2012), Philippine Sea ( Van Name 1918), Mindoro ( Tokioka 1970), Truuk Islands ( Nishikawa 1984), Guam ( Lambert 2003), Australia ( Kott 1985; Monniot 1992).