Pyura doppelgangera

directions_boat This is an invasive or introduced species.

Part of the Cunjevoi, or Red Bait species complex of solitary ascidians, Pyura doppelgangera is the only member found in SA, although their range overlaps with the virtually identical Pyura praepatulis interstate. In South Australia, this species is found only on artificial structures, particularly jetty pylons, in pockets along the coast. It has an extremely dark brown-red and wrinkled test, with two short siphons virtually next to one another, and a more or less spherical body. Its habit of growing in large aggregations and dominating the intertidal zone of its chosen sites are its most distinguishing features, and ensure that it is unlikely to be mistaken for another species.