Baked bean ascidian

Dendrodoa grossularia

Other invertebrates
IUCN: Not evaluated

Usual depth0–57 m
Water temperature-2–21 °C
Best monthsMay, June, and August
How commonCommon

Photo credit: (c) Libby Keatley, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist

About this species

Dendrodoa grossularia is a species of tunicate or sea squirt in the family Styelidae, commonly known as the baked bean ascidian. It is native to the northeastern Atlantic Ocean where it is common in shallow water and on the lower shore in exposed rocky sites.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Dendrodoa grossularia”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 372 records
February: 468 records
March: 822 records
April: 843 records
May: 2,013 records
June: 1,837 records
July: 1,595 records
August: 2,007 records
September: 1,770 records
October: 610 records
November: 437 records
December: 96 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 0–57 m · Deepest record: 352.6 m

0–10 m: 2,198 records
10–20 m: 1,871 records
20–30 m: 1,030 records
30–40 m: 1,031 records
40–50 m: 478 records
50–60 m: 202 records
60–70 m: 250 records
70–80 m: 134 records
80–90 m: 124 records
90–100 m: 112 records
100–110 m: 45 records
110+ m: 51 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of -2–21 °C

-2–0 °C: 1 records
0–2 °C: 0 records
2–4 °C: 0 records
4–6 °C: 7 records
6–8 °C: 0 records
8–10 °C: 38 records
10–12 °C: 469 records
12–14 °C: 333 records
14–16 °C: 0 records
16–18 °C: 0 records
18–20 °C: 0 records
20–22 °C: 1 records

Photos

no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist
no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist
(c) Bernard Picton, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) Jamie O'Neill, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) Jamie O'Neill, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) Bernard Picton, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist

Names and classification

English: Baked bean ascidian, Baked-bean ascidian, baked bean ascidian, baked-bean ascidian, Baked Bean Ascidian

Names in 2 more languages

German: Tangbeere
French: Ascidie groseille, Groseille de mer

Other scientific names: Ascidia grossularia, Cynthia grossularia, Styela grossularia, Styelopsis grossularia, Styelopsis sphaerica

Similar species

Chain tunicate
Botrylloides violaceus
Golden star tunicate
Botryllus schlosseri
botrylloid
Botrylloides leachii
Black synascidia
Botrylloides niger
Golden Sea Squirt
Polycarpa aurata
Blue Siphon Sea Squirt
Asterocarpa coerulea

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
14,224 open-data records from 1868 to 2023.
Species data updated November 2, 2026.

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