Chordata
Eudistoma capsulatum
1. In situ (Greg McFall)
2. In situ (Greg McFall)
3. In situ (Greg McFall)
4. Out of water (Danny Gleason)
5. Out of water (Danny Gleason)
6. Out of water (Danny Gleason)
7. Out of water (Danny Gleason)
8. Out of water (Steve Vives)
Size
Colony height: 20cm (8") Colony width: reaching 15cm (6"), highly variable in shape
Recognition Characters
Grows in rounded or oval masses. Can be fairly thick, upright with rounded edges. Distribution of zooid chamber can be both regular or irregular. Aperture and circular openings of zooid chamber is obvious. Surface of the tunic is smooth, slick to the touch, and transparent so that the large zooids are easily visible inside.
Color
Variable. Grey, creamy-white, with some yellowish green tinges. Zooid chambers darker blue dotted by violet.
Habitat & Depth
Encrust hard bottoms, rocks and shipwrecks. Shallow water to 200m.
Distribution at GRNMS
Common. Attached to ledges and rocky outcroppings.
Geographic Range
Chesapeake Bay south Cuba including West Indies. Gulf of Mexico to Yucatan Peninsula. Bermuda.
Behavior & Notes
Synonyms
Plough 1978, Van Name 1945