''Dolioletta mirabilis'' 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 ...
in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Doliolidae
Doliolidae is a family of tunicates in the order Doliolida. Members of the family are pelagic and often found far away from coastlines. . It is small, exists in various forms and is sometimes found in great abundance in the Indo-Pacific waters where it lives.
Description
The
gonozooids are the most often encountered of the forms of this animal. They are solitary
hermaphrodite
In reproductive biology, a hermaphrodite () is an organism that has both kinds of reproductive organs and can produce both gametes associated with male and female sexes.
Many Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic groups of animals (mostly invertebrate ...
s with eight bands of muscle that encircle the body. These gonozooids produce the oozooids, which are usually seen in smaller numbers within the population. Oozooids are distinguished by a conspicuous tail of asexually produced zooids, and have nine circumferential bands of muscle.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q4910801
Thaliacea
Animals described in 1891