Botrylloides violaceus Oka, 1927
(Red Sheath Tunicate)

Taxonomic hierarchy:
SpeciesBotrylloides violaceus (Red Sheath Tunicate)
GenusBotrylloides (a genus of colonial sea squirts)
FamilySTYELIDAE (a family of sea squirts)
OrderSTOLIDOBRANCHIA (a suborder of sea squirts)
ClassASCIDIACEA (ascidians, sea-squirts)
SubphylumTUNICATA (ascidians, sea-squirts, tunicates)
PhylumCHORDATA (vertebrates)
SuperphylumDEUTEROSTOMIA (deuterostomes)
CladeBilateria (bilaterally symmetrical animals)
SubkingdomEUMETAZOA (metazoans)
KingdomANIMALIA (animals)
DomainEukaryota (eukaryotes)
LifeBIOTA (living things)
Records of Botrylloides violaceus (Red Sheath Tunicate) :
1: Botrylloides violaceus (Red Sheath Tunicate)
28 Apr 2010 OSGR: SY67 50° 30’ N, 2° 30’ W Vice County: Dorset (VC 9) England
growing on Saw Wrack
Image 1: Underwater - close-up - magnifiedImage 2: Underwater - close-up - magnified (2)Image 3: Underwater - close-up - magnified (3)Image 4: Underwater - close-up - magnified (4)Image 5: Underwater - close-up - magnified (5)Image 6: Underwater - close-up - magnified (6)
2: Botrylloides violaceus (Red Sheath Tunicate) IDENTIFICATION UNCERTAIN
16 May 2008 OSGR: NS24 55° 40’ N, 4° 50’ W Vice County: Ayrshire (VC 75) England
on rock
Image 1: Colony - in situ - close-upImage 2: Colony - in situ - close-up (2)Image 3: Colony - in situ - close-up (3)
3: Botrylloides violaceus (Red Sheath Tunicate) IDENTIFICATION UNCERTAIN
16 May 2008 OSGR: NS24 55° 40’ N, 4° 50’ W Vice County: Ayrshire (VC 75) England
under rock, at low spring tide
Image 1: Colony - close-up - enlargedImage 2: Colony - close-up - enlarged (2)Image 3: Colony - close-up - highly enlargedImage 4: Colony - close-up - highly enlarged (2)Image 5: Colony - close-up - highly enlarged (3)Image 6: Colony - close-up - highly enlarged (4)Image 7: Colony - close-up - highly enlarged (5)Image 8: Colony - in situ - enlargedImage 9: Colony - in situ - enlarged (2)Image 10: Colony margin - close-up - enlarged
4: Botrylloides violaceus (Red Sheath Tunicate) IDENTIFICATION UNCERTAIN
16 May 2008 OSGR: NS24 55° 40’ N, 4° 50’ W Vice County: Ayrshire (VC 75) England
on rock
Image 1: Ageing colony - close-upImage 2: Ageing colony - close-up - enlargedImage 3: Tadpoles - enlargedImage 4: Tadpoles - enlarged (2)
5: Botrylloides violaceus (Red Sheath Tunicate)
6 May 2008 OSGR: SY67 50° 40’ N, 2° 30’ W Vice County: Dorset (VC 9) England
on vertical faces of old concrete blocks, exposed at low tide
Image 1: Colony - close-upImage 2: Colony - close-up - enlargedImage 3: Colony - close-up - enlarged (2)Image 4: Colony - close-up - enlarged (3)

Identification Works

AuthorYearTitleSource
() The Bishop Group 2011 *** Marine Aliens - Identification guide for selected marine non-native species ***(Superseded) 2nd edition, 24pp, Marine Biological Association
www.nonnativespecies.org Orange Sheath Tunicate https://secure.fera.defra.gov.uk/nonnativespecies/index.cfm?pageid=137

Botrylloides violaceus (Red Sheath Tunicate) may also be included in identification literature listed under the following higher taxa:

NBNNBN (data.nbn.org.uk) has a distribution map for Botrylloides violaceus (Red Sheath Tunicate)
BioInfoBioInfo (www.bioinfo.org.uk) has 0 host/parasite/foodplant and/or other relationships for Botrylloides violaceus (Red Sheath Tunicate)
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