Information on the biology of species and the ecology of habitats found around the coasts and seas of the British Isles. Map Help. A solitary sea squirt with a long club-shaped body, tapering to a slender and tough stalk. The surface of the sea squirt can be leathery with folds and swellings. The siphons at the top anterior end are close together. Styela clava is distributed on the south and west coasts of England as far north as Cumbria.
It is a native of the north western Pacific and found in Japan, Korea and Siberia. Styela clava is found in shallow water on hard surfaces and occurs abundantly in sheltered warm water docks and harbour installations. Styela clava is a non native marine species originally from the north western Pacific. It was found in Plymouth Devon in Carlisle, and was possibly introduced on the hulls of war ships following the end of the Korean war in Styela clava is a fouling pest on ships hulls and oyster beds, and the transport of oysters and any movement of ships probably aided its rapid dispersal Eno et al.
They reported another 40 new records of this species in European harbours, including new records in the Channel Isles, France and Spain. A similar sea squirt, Styela gelatinosa has only been found in one location and is easily separated from Styela clava by its narrow base or slight stalk. Carlisle, D. Styela mammiculata , a new species of ascidian from the Plymouth area.
Davis, M. Eno, N. Non-native marine species in British waters: a review and directory. Peterborough: Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Hayward, P. Collins pocket guide. Sea shore of Britain and northern Europe. London: HarperCollins. Handbook of the marine fauna of North-West Europe. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Millar, R. British Ascidians London: Academic Press.
Minchin, D. The distribution of the exotic ascidian, Styela clava Herdman, in Cork Harbour. Irish Naturalists' Journal , 22 , Centre for Environmental Data and Recording, Fenwick, Kent Wildlife Trust, Merseyside BioBank.
