Article
Article
Tunicata
Article By:
Goodbody, Ivan Department of Zoology, University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica.
Last reviewed:September 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.715100
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- Tunicata (Urochordata), published June 2014:Download PDF
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A subphylum of marine animals within the phylum Chordata. Members of the chordate subphylum Tunicata (also referred to as Urochordata) are invertebrate marine animals. Tunicates (urochordates) [Fig. 1] are characterized by a perforated pharynx or branchial sac used for food collection, a dorsal notochord restricted to the tail of the larva (and the adult in one class), absence of mesodermal segmentation or a recognizable coelom, and secretion of an outer covering (the test or tunic) that contains large amounts of polysaccharides related to cellulose. Common tunicates include sea squirts and salps. See also: Chordata
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