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Subphylum Urochordata
General characters (Gr. uros, tail; chorda, cord)
1. Exclusively marine and cosmopolitan, found in all seas and at all depths.
2. Mostly sedentary (fixed), some pelagic or free-swimming.
3. Simple (solitary), aggregated in groups or composite (colonial).
4. Size (0.25 to 250 mm), shape and colour variable.
5. About body degenerate, sac-like, unsegmented, without paired appendages and usually without
tail. 6. Body covered by a protective tunic or test composed largely of tunicine, (C6H10O5) n,
similar to cellulose, hence the name Tunicata.
7. A terminal branchial aperture and a dorsal atrial aperture usually present.
8. Coelom absent. Instead, an ectoderm-lined atrial cavity present which opens to outside through
atrial aperture.
9. Notochord present only in larval tail, hence the name Urochordata.
10. Alimentary canal complete. Pharynx (branchial sac) large, with endostyle and two to several
pairs of gill-slits. Ciliary feeders.
11. Respiration through test and gill-slits.
12. Blood-vascular system open. Heart simple, tubular and ventral. Flow of blood periodically
reversed. Special vanadocytes in blood extract vanadium from sea water.
13. Excretion by neural gland, pyloric gland and nephrocytes.
14. Dorsal tubular nerve cord only in larval stage, reduced to a single dorsal nerve ganglion in
adult.
15.Mostly hermaphrodite. Fertilization cross and external.
16. Development indirect including a free-swimming tailed larva with basic chordates characters.
Metamorphosis retrogressive.
17. Asexual reproduction by budding common.

Classification
Subphlum Urochordata or Tunicata includes about 2,000 fixed and nearly 100 pelagic species
exhibiting high degree of diversity. These have been variously classified by Herdman (1891),
Lahille, Garstang (1895), Perrier (1898), Hartmeyer (1909-11) and S.M. Das (1957). But these
have some drawbacks and are at times too complicated for students. The classification given below
has been adopted from Storer and Usinger as given in their book General Zoology of 1965 edition.
As usual, the subphylum Urochordata is divided into 3 classes.
I. Class Ascidiacea
1. Solidary, colonial or compound. Bottom living.
2. Body form and size variable.
3. Test permanent, well developed and thick.
4. Atrium opens dorsally by atriopore.
5. Pharynx large with many persistent gill-slits.
6. Sexes united. Larva free-swimming and highly developed.

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7. Adults usually sessile after retrogressive metamorphosis when larval

notochord, nerve cord and tail are lost and brain reduced to a solid dorsal ganglion.
8. Stolon simple or none.
a) Order Enterogona
1. Body sometimes divided into thorax and abdomen.
2. Neutral gland usually ventral to ganglion.
3. Gonad 1, lying in or behind intestinal loop.
4. Larva with 2 sense organs (ocelli and otolith).
i. Suborder Phlebobranchia
1. Pharynx with internal longitudinal vessels.
2. Budding rare.
Examples : Ascidia, Ciona, Phallusia
ii. Suborder Aplousobranchia
1. Pharynx without longitudinal vessels.
2. Budding common.
Examples : Clavelina..
b) Order Pleurogona
1. Body compact, undivided.
2. Neutral gland dorsal or lateral to ganglion.
3. Gonads 2 or more embedded in mantle wall.
4. Larva with otolith. Separate eye absent.
Examples : Herdmania, Botryllus, Molgula, Styela.
II. Class Thaliacea
1. Adults free living, pelagic, in warm and temperate seas. Solidary or colonial.
2. Body shape and size variable.
3. Tunic permanent, thin and transparent, with circular muscle bands.
4. Atriopore located posteriorly.
5. Pharynx with 2 large or many small gill-slits.
6. Sexes united. Larva formed or absent.
7. Adult without notochord, nerve cord and tall.
8. Asexual budding from a complex stolon.
9. Life history with an alternation of generations.
a) Order Pyrosomida
1. Colony compact, tubular, closed at one end and phosphorescent throughout the life, due to the
invasion of its egg by a symbiotic luminescent bacteria.
2. Zooids embedded in a common test.
3. Muscle bands confined to body ends.
4. Gill-slits tall, numerous, upto 50.
5. No free-swimming larval stage.
6. Reproduces by budding.

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Examples : Single genus, Pyrosoma.

b) Order Doliolida (=Cyclomyaria)
1. Body characteristically barrel-shaped.
2. Muscle bands form 8 complete rings.
3. Gill-slits small, few to many.
4. A tailed larva with notochord present.
Examples : Doliolum, Doliopsis.
Order Salpida (=Desmomyaria)
1. Body cylindrical or prism-shaped.
2. Muscle bands incomplete ventrally.
3. Pharynx communicates freely with atrium through a large gill slit.
4. Tailed larva absent.
Examples : Salpa, Scyclosalpa.
III. Class Larvacea (=Appendicularia)
1. Small (5 mm long), solidary, free-swimming, pelagic, neotenic, larva-like forms with persistent
tail, notochord, nerve cord and brain.
2. Test forming a temporary house, renewed periodically.
3. Atrium and atrial aperture absent.
4. Gill-slits 2, opening directly to outside.
5. Sexes united. No metamorphosis.
a) Order Endostylophora
1. House bilaterally symmetrical, with separate inhalant and exhalent apertures.
2. Pharynx with endostyle.
Examples : Oikopleura, Appendicularia.
b) Order Polystylophora
1. House biradically symmetrical, with single aperture.
2. Pharynx without endostyle.
Examples : Kowalevskia.

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Fig. Pyrosoma

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