Light-bulb sea squirt

Clavelina lepadiformis · A small, glass-clear colonial sea squirt of European coasts whose pale insides make it look like a light bulb.

Also called Lightbulb sea squirt.

Light-bulb sea squirt
Photo: Roberto Strafella, CC BY-SA 4.0
Light-bulb sea squirt
Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0
Light-bulb sea squirt
Photo: Waielbi, CC BY-SA 3.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassAscidiacea
OrderAplousobranchia
FamilyClavelinidae
GenusClavelina
SpeciesClavelina lepadiformis

Where it lives

Shallow coasts of the northeast Atlantic, from Norway to Britain, Ireland and the Mediterranean.

Fun facts

  • Its see-through outer coat shows off yellow or white organs inside, which makes it look like a tiny light bulb.
  • It is one of the commonest shallow-water sea squirts around Great Britain and Ireland.
  • It lives in colonies, with many small individuals growing together in a clump.
  • Scientists have found that in the Mediterranean, what looks like this one species also includes hidden look-alike species.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).