''Polyclinum aurantium'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 a ...

sea squirt, a

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 ...

Polyclinidae Polyclinidae is a family of tunicates in the order Enterogona. It describes a group of marine animals. Genera The World Register of Marine Species lists the following genera: *'' Aplidiopsis'' Lahille, 1890 *'' Aplidium'' Savigny, 1816 *'' Fraga ...

. It is native to shallow water in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.

Description

''Polyclinum aurantium'' forms globular or flat-topped mounds consisting of a number of

zooid A zooid or zoöid is a single animal that is part of a colonial animal. This lifestyle has been adopted by animals from separate unrelated taxa. Zooids are multicellular; their structure is similar to that of other solitary animals. The zooi ...

s immersed in a common tunic. Each zooid has its own buccal siphon with six lobes, through which it draws in water, and the colony has a small number of common cloacal siphons, each with a long tongue-like projection, through which water is expelled. The individual zooids are up to long, and the colony is yellowish-brown or yellowish-grey and often coated with sand.

Distribution and habitat

''Polyclinum aurantium'' is native to the northeastern Atlantic Ocean. Its range extends from Norway southwards to the Mediterranean Sea. It occurs on rocks and other hard substrates at depths down to about .

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4921588 Enterogona Animals described in 1841