Distaplia regina Kott, 1990

Lambert, Gretchen, Lee, Serina Siew-Chen & Teo, Serena Lay-Ming, 2021, Ascidians collected during the 2013 Singapore Strait International Marine Biodiversity Workshop, Zootaxa 4933 (1), pp. 1-38 : 8

Distaplia regina Kott, 1990 NEW RECORD

Figure 3B, C

#3850A, a single large flat colony was the only specimen collected, 8 cm across in largest width, growing on an algal blade; tunic in life brownish purple fading to pale pink in formalin, as mentioned by Kott (1990). Zooids in systems more or less circular. The four rows of stigmata lack parastigmatic vessels. Zooid thorax with longitudinal muscles only. Stomach smooth, but under high magnification is very minutely areolated. Largest larva almost 2 mm long, with four tiny rows of stigmata ( Fig. 3C ), larva appears to have four adhesive papillae similar to one figured (but not commented on) by Monniot F. & Monniot C. (2001). In a slightly younger larva, only the typical three papillae are present, in a triangle.

Distribution: Australia, Palau.

References with detailed descriptions of the zooids: Kott (1990), Monniot F. & Monniot C. (1996, 2001).

Figures

FIGURE 3. A: Distaplia micropnoa, 2 cm in height; B: Distaplia regina preserved colony 8 cm across; C: D. regina unhatched tadpole 2 mm in length; D, E: Eudistoma amplum colony 6 cm across; F, G: E. amplum different colony 2.5 cm across. F: slice through entire colony; G: single zooid 8 mm in length.