''Boltenia echinata'', commonly known as the cactus sea squirt, is a species of

tunicate A tunicate is a marine invertebrate animal, a member of the subphylum Tunicata (). It 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 ca ...

, a marine invertebrate in the genus '' Boltenia'' of the family

Pyuridae Pyuridae is a family of tunicates.Gittenberger, A.; Sanamyan, K. (2015)Pyuridae.In: Shenkar, N.; Gittenberger, A.; Lambert, G.; Rius, M.; Moreira Da Rocha, R.; Swalla, B.J.; Turon, X. (2015) Ascidiacea World Database. Accessed through: World Regis ...

. It is native to the Arctic Ocean and the northern Atlantic Ocean.

Description

''Boltenia echinata'' is a solitary sea squirt with a globose or ovoid body up to in diameter. The two small siphons are four-lobed and are near the top of the animal. The base is attached to the substrate over a large area. The test is tough and rubbery and bears radially-branching spines, which resemble hairs. The body colour is brown and the siphons may be tinged red, but the sea squirt is very inconspicuous because it is usually covered with silt.

Distribution and habitat

''Boltenia echinata'' occurs in the northern Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic Ocean. The range includes the coasts of Scotland and the Irish Sea, but not southern Britain. It is usually found in fairly sheltered silty habitats, attached to solid substrates at depths down to about .

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4916037 Stolidobranchia Animals described in 1767 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus