Red-throated ascidian

Herdmania momus

Other invertebrates
IUCN: Not evaluated

Usual depth2–125 m
Water temperature11–29 °C
Best monthsJune, July, and November
How commonOccasional

About this species

The solitary ascidian Herdmania momus is one of the most commonly encountered species of ascidians. While commonly referred to simply as sea squirts, this name is ambiguous, as it can refer to any member of the sub-phylum Tunicata.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Herdmania momus”, 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: 1 records
February: 16 records
March: 17 records
April: 14 records
May: 25 records
June: 40 records
July: 31 records
August: 5 records
September: 12 records
October: 9 records
November: 26 records
December: 11 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 2–125 m · Deepest record: 379.5 m

0–10 m: 16 records
10–20 m: 6 records
20–30 m: 2 records
30–40 m: 2 records
40–50 m: 2 records
50–60 m: 3 records
60–70 m: 2 records
70–80 m: 2 records
80–90 m: 0 records
90–100 m: 0 records
100–110 m: 0 records
110+ m: 4 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 11–29 °C

10–12 °C: 1 records
12–14 °C: 0 records
14–16 °C: 90 records
16–18 °C: 3 records
18–20 °C: 39 records
20–22 °C: 27 records
22–24 °C: 7 records
24–26 °C: 46 records
26–28 °C: 11 records
28–30 °C: 15 records

Names and classification

English: Red-throated ascidian

Names in 1 more languages

Japanese: ベニボヤ

Other scientific names: Cynthia momus, Cynthie momus, Halocynthia momus, Herdmania contorta, Herdmania curvata, Herdmannia contorta, Pyura momus, Pyura papietensis, Rhabdocynthia mauritiana, Rhabdocynthia tenuis

Similar species

Herdmania polyducta

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).
618 open-data records from 1884 to 2023.

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