Individual (~3.5cm bl) blastozooid carrying a developing oozoid attached to the dorsal body wall.

Salp

Cyclosalpa affinis

Thanks to kayakers Joanne and Doug Schwartz, who found these animals off the coast of Orange County, CA. 8-20-12 and helped with the photography.
Photographs © Peter J. Bryant

Read about salp life cycles and global significance here.

Tunicata: Thaliacea

Back to Tunicates of Orange County, California
Back to Natural History of Orange County, California


Individual blastozooid. Many of the internal body parts are visible in these largely transparent animals.


Ring of blastozooids.
Ring of blastozooids, with females carrying developing oozoids attached to their body walls.

Individual (~3.5cm bl) blastozooid.
Close-up of convoluted dorsal tubercle of the blastozooid.

Close-up of blastozooid eye (red) and dorsal tubercle.
Individual blastozooid carrying a developing oozoid attached to the dorsal body wall, and a free oozooid to the left.

Individual oozooid, recently released from the parent. Parallel muscle bands, eye (red) and dorsal tubercle are visible.