Doliolidae
Encyclopedia
Doliolidae is a family
of tunicate
s in the order Doliolida
. Members of the family are pelagic
and often found far away from coastlines.
Members of the family are transparent, gelatinous, barrel-shaped or cylindrical marine organisms. They are mostly small and inconspicuous. They have cilia which move water through the mucus
nets which they use to trap the phytoplankton
on which they feed. This is in contrast to their close relations, the salp
s, which use contractions of transverse muscles in the body wall for this purpose. Doliolids also have circular muscles, the sudden contraction of which cause them to move rapidly in a characteristic jerky manner.
They have a complex life cycle, as do other doliolids
, with forms that alternate between generations that undergo sexual and asexual reproduction
. There is no larval form.
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
of tunicate
Tunicate
Tunicates, also known as urochordates, are members of the subphylum Tunicata, previously known as Urochordata, a group of underwater saclike filter feeders with incurrent and excurrent siphons that is classified within the phylum Chordata. While most tunicates live on the ocean floor, others such...
s in the order Doliolida
Doliolida
Doliolida are small marine animals of the Tunicata phylum, related to salps and pyrosomas. The Doliolid body is small, typically 1–2 cm long, and barrel-shaped; it features two wide siphons, one at the front and the other at the back end, and eight or nine circular muscle strands reminiscent...
. Members of the family are pelagic
Pelagic zone
Any water in a sea or lake that is not close to the bottom or near to the shore can be said to be in the pelagic zone. The word pelagic comes from the Greek πέλαγος or pélagos, which means "open sea". The pelagic zone can be thought of in terms of an imaginary cylinder or water column that goes...
and often found far away from coastlines.
Members of the family are transparent, gelatinous, barrel-shaped or cylindrical marine organisms. They are mostly small and inconspicuous. They have cilia which move water through the mucus
Mucus
In vertebrates, mucus is a slippery secretion produced by, and covering, mucous membranes. Mucous fluid is typically produced from mucous cells found in mucous glands. Mucous cells secrete products that are rich in glycoproteins and water. Mucous fluid may also originate from mixed glands, which...
nets which they use to trap the phytoplankton
Phytoplankton
Phytoplankton are the autotrophic component of the plankton community. The name comes from the Greek words φυτόν , meaning "plant", and πλαγκτός , meaning "wanderer" or "drifter". Most phytoplankton are too small to be individually seen with the unaided eye...
on which they feed. This is in contrast to their close relations, the salp
Salp
A salp or salpa is a barrel-shaped, planktonic tunicate. It moves by contracting, thus pumping water through its gelatinous body...
s, which use contractions of transverse muscles in the body wall for this purpose. Doliolids also have circular muscles, the sudden contraction of which cause them to move rapidly in a characteristic jerky manner.
They have a complex life cycle, as do other doliolids
Doliolida
Doliolida are small marine animals of the Tunicata phylum, related to salps and pyrosomas. The Doliolid body is small, typically 1–2 cm long, and barrel-shaped; it features two wide siphons, one at the front and the other at the back end, and eight or nine circular muscle strands reminiscent...
, with forms that alternate between generations that undergo sexual and asexual reproduction
Asexual reproduction
Asexual reproduction is a mode of reproduction by which offspring arise from a single parent, and inherit the genes of that parent only, it is reproduction which does not involve meiosis, ploidy reduction, or fertilization. A more stringent definition is agamogenesis which is reproduction without...
. There is no larval form.
Genera
The World Register of Marine Species lists the following genera:- Anchinia
- DoliolettaDoliolettaDolioletta is a genus of tunicates in the family Doliolidae.-Characteristics:Members of the genus Dolioletta are transparent, gelatinous barrel-shaped animals, usually less than one centimetre long...
Borgert, 1894 - Doliolina Garstang, 1933
- Dolioloides Garstang, 1933
- DoliolumDoliolumDoliolum is a genus of tunicates, the members of which move via jet propulsion. A detailed description can be found at .-Species:The World Register of Marine Species lists the following species: *Doliolum denticulatum Quoy & Gaimard, 1834...
Quoy & Gaimard, 1834 - Doliopsis