Collection: Doliolid with Tail
by suzeroo
Class Thaliacea, Phylum Chordata, propelled by cilia, produce short-lived tadpole larvae. Same family as Salps. The long and short of it. Doliolids are small marine animals of the Tunicata phylum, related to salps and pyrosomas. Doliolids are free-floating filter feeders. They force water to flow through their bodies to gather plankton. This can also be used for “jet” propulsion and can move quite quickly. They grow to around 1 or 2 cm in length. They are barrel-shaped with two wide siphons, one at the front and the other at the back end, and eight or nine circular muscle strands reminiscent of barrel bands. They have a complicated life cycle consisting of sexual and asexual generations. They are nearly exclusively tropical animals, although a few species can be found as far to the north as North California.
