VLIZ Alien Species Consortium (2022). Botrylloides violaceus. Niet-inheemse soorten in het Belgisch deel van de Noordzee en omliggende estuaria = Non-indigenous species from the Belgian part of the North Sea and estuaria. VLIZ Alien Species Consortium (VLIZ): Oostende. Diff. pag. pp.
Part of: Niet-inheemse soorten in het Belgisch deel van de Noordzee en omliggende estuaria = Non-indigenous species from the Belgian part of the North Sea and estuaria. VLIZ Alien Species Consortium (VLIZ): Ostend. ISSN 2983-5518
Related to:
VLIZ Alien Species Consortium (2020). Botrylloides violaceus - Gewone slingerzakpijp, in: Verleye, T. et al.Niet-inheemse soorten in het Belgisch deel van de Noordzee en aanpalende estuaria. VLIZ Special Publication, 86: pp. 595-600, more
The chain tunicate Botrylloides violaceus is a colony-forming ascidian native to the northwestern Pacific Ocean. Transported on ship hulls or attached to living marine organisms (e.g. the Japanese oyster), the species got introduced to Europe before 1998, where it continued to spread via attachment to recreational yachts. Established colonies of this sea squirt were first reported along our coast in 2004, in the port of Zeebrugge. The colonies are usually uniformly coloured but can be bicoloured. Red-coloured individuals appear to be most common in western Europe. Other colours often found in this continent include off-white, purple, bright yellow and orange coloured individuals. Furthermore, combinations of two of these colours also exist. B. violaceus is morphologically distinguishable from other Botrylloides species in western Europe based on its anatomy and larvae. Due to the rare occurrence of other Botrylloides species, observations of many colonies occurring close together most likely concern the species B. violaceus.
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