''Clavelina coerulea'', the blue ringed sea squirt, is a species of tunicates belonging to the family

Clavelinidae Clavelinidae is a family of tunicates in the order Enterogona. It describes a group of marine animals. Genera , WoRMS Worms may refer to: *Worm, an invertebrate animal with a tube-like body and no limbs Places *Worms, Germany Worms () i ...

. The species name refers to the vivid blue body coloration. Members of the class Ascidiacea including this species are hermaphroditic; both cross- and self-fertilization is typical. The eggs of this tunicate develop into lecithotrophic larva before metamorphosing into sessile benthic adults. When disturbed, these tunicates may draw up their apertures, much like a drawstring around the rim of a bag. They are filter feeders, drawing plankton in through their incurrent aperture in a continuous stream of water, using tiny hair-like cilia, and expelling waste through the excurrent aperture.

References

WoRMS

EoL
Enterogona Animals described in 1934 {{tunicata-stub