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Perophora

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Perophora
Perophora namei
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Tunicata
Class: Ascidiacea
Order: Phlebobranchia
Family: Perophoridae
Genus: Perophora
Wiegmann, 1835[1]
Synonyms [1]

Tibiania

Perophora is a sea squirt genus in the family Perophoridae. Most species are found in shallow warm water but a few are found in higher latitudes. A colony consists of a number of zooids which bud off from a long slender stolon.

Characteristics

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A Perophora colony consists of a system of stolons from which individual zooids arise at intervals. Each zooid has four or five rows of stigmata in the wall of the atrium, the one exception being Perophora multistigmata which has eight rows. In some cases, the five-rowed species have some stigmata extending over the first and second rows indicating that the primary number of rows is four. In Ecteinascidia, the only other genus in the family, there are always eight or more rows of stigmata, usually twelve to twenty rows. Other distinguishing characteristics are that Perophora has a horizontal gut loop with a short rectum and a testis with usually one, but up to four lobes, situated in the gut loop. In Ecteinascidia the gut loop is curved, the rectum long and the testis multi-lobed.[2]

Species

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The World Register of Marine Species lists the following species:[1]

Perophora listeri; A. slightly magnified; B. further magnified; ascidiozooids in right, left and lateral aspects
a. branchial siphon b. atrial siphon

References

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  1. ^ a b c Karen Sanamyan & Claude Monniot (2012). Shenkar N, Gittenberger A, Lambert G, Rius M, Moreira Da Rocha R, Swalla BJ, Turon X (eds.). "Perophora Wiegmann, 1835". Ascidiacea World Database. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  2. ^ Goodbody, Ivan (1994). "The Tropical Western Atlantic Perophoridae (Ascidiacea): I. The Genus Perophora". Bulletin of Marine Science. 55 (1): 176–192.
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