Illes Medes, Spain, 15 meters, 2004, WBN
Illes Medes, Spain, 18 meters, 2005, WBN
Illes Medes, Spain, 18 meters, 2011, WBN
Halocynthia papillosa is a solitary ascidian which is generally 10 cm high but may reach 20 cm. The body is ovoïd, the red test is cartilaginous, rough with a granulous surface. The siphons are distant: the oral siphon is terminal and the atrial siphon is half-way down the body. Rigid bristles, used as sensitive elements, surround the siphons. The red sea-squirt can contract and close its siphons when disturbed. It lives attached to rocks, overhangs or among Posidonia, avoiding luminous areas, between 2 and 100 meters deep.
Halocynthia papillosa is a Mediterranean species that may live in the surrounded Atlantic Ocean, particularly along the Portuguese coasts.
Source : World Register of Marine Species
Biota (Monde)
Animalia (Règne)
Chordata (Embranchement)
Tunicata (Sous-embranchement)
Ascidiacea (Classe)
Stolidobranchia (Ordre)
Pyuridae (Famille)
Halocynthia (Genre)
Halocynthia papillosa (Espèce)
Test : or tunic: thick layer secreted by the mantel containing cellulose and protecting the animal.
Oral siphon : opening by which water is drawn in the ascidian.
Atrial siphon : opening through which water is expelled.
Text :Anne Bay-Nouailhat © 2005 - 2026.
Photos : © Wilfried Bay-Nouailhat. Published with his kind permission.
Image satellite: © Esri, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS, USDA, USGS, AeroGRID, IGN, and the GIS User Community.
Données de distribution : Halocynthia papillosa (Linnaeus, 1767) in GBIF Secretariat (2019). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2026-07-19.
Source : World Register of Marine Species
Biota (Monde)
Animalia (Règne)
Chordata (Embranchement)
Tunicata (Sous-embranchement)
Ascidiacea (Classe)
Stolidobranchia (Ordre)
Pyuridae (Famille)
Halocynthia (Genre)
Halocynthia papillosa (Espèce)
Test : or tunic: thick layer secreted by the mantel containing cellulose and protecting the animal.
Oral siphon : opening by which water is drawn in the ascidian.
Atrial siphon : opening through which water is expelled.
Text : Anne Bay-Nouailhat © 2005 - 2026.
Photos : © Wilfried Bay-Nouailhat. Published with his kind permission.
Bay-Nouailhat A., January 2005, Description de Halocynthia papillosa, [En ligne] https://www.mer-littoral.org/uk/32/halocynthia-papillosa.php, consultée le 19 juillet 2026.
Author
Chargée d’études en environnement marin
Plongeuse professionnelle - Naturaliste
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