''Dolioletta'' is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of
tunicate
Tunicates are marine invertebrates belonging to the subphylum Tunicata ( ). This grouping is part of the Chordata, a phylum which includes all animals with dorsal nerve cords and notochords (including vertebrates). The subphylum was at one time ...
s in the family
Doliolidae.
Characteristics
Members of the genus ''Dolioletta'' are transparent, gelatinous barrel-shaped animals, usually less than one centimetre long. They move in jerks by contracting the circular bands of muscle in their body wall sharply.
[''Dolioletta'']
JelliesZone. Retrieved 2011-11-17.
Biology
They have the complex life cycle typical of the
doliolids, with alternating sexual and asexual phases. They use a net of mucus strands to efficiently trap
phytoplankton
Phytoplankton () are the autotrophic (self-feeding) components of the plankton community and a key part of ocean and freshwater Aquatic ecosystem, ecosystems. The name comes from the Greek language, Greek words (), meaning 'plant', and (), mea ...
floating past. They both grow fast and multiply rapidly and a single animal is capable of forming thousands of new individuals in a few days. They sometimes form dense
swarms with up to 500 individuals per square metre.
[
]
Species
The World Register of Marine Species lists the following species:[
*'' Dolioletta chuni'' (Neumann, 1906)
*'']Dolioletta gegenbauri
''Dolioletta gegenbauri'' is a species of tunicate in the family Doliolidae. It is small, exists in various forms and is sometimes found in great abundance in the Atlantic and Pacific waters where it lives.
Life cycle
''Dolioletta gegenbauri'' ...
'' (Uljanin, 1884)
*'' Dolioletta mirabilis'' Korotneff, 1891
*'' Dolioletta tritonis'' Herdman, 1888
*'' Dolioletta valdiviae'' (Neumann, 1906)
References
Doliolida
Tunicate genera
{{tunicata-stub