Ritterella pedunculata

Ritterella pedunculata
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Size: Stalks 6 cm long

Distribution: All SA coastal and gulf waters

Habitat: Rocky reef on rock walls

Depth: Subtidal to 10+ metres

Ritterella pedunculata
Ritterella pedunculata
Ritterella pedunculata
Ritterella pedunculata

This sandy colonial ascidian grows on rocky reefs and is often overlooked. It consists of many connected sandy stalks, each with a semi-circular head containing a small number of zooids. If able to grow freely, the stalks form a more or less spherical colony. This species is very similar to Ritterella papillata, the main visible difference being that there are more zooids, which open out to the flat surface of the semi-circular head, as opposed to fewer zooids that open out to the edge of the head in R. papillata.