Blunt-spined Microcosmus

Microcosmus squamiger

Other invertebrates
IUCN: Not evaluated

Usual depth1–7 m
Water temperature11–26 °C
Best monthsMay, June, and November
How commonOccasional

All species

Photo credit: (c) Stephen Thorpe, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

Loading the map

Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 172 records
February: 247 records
March: 195 records
April: 293 records
May: 372 records
June: 388 records
July: 221 records
August: 301 records
September: 249 records
October: 251 records
November: 334 records
December: 240 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 1–7 m · Deepest record: 40 m

0–10 m: 72 records
10–20 m: 2 records
20–30 m: 4 records
30–40 m: 0 records
40–50 m: 1 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 11–26 °C

10–12 °C: 3 records
12–14 °C: 4 records
14–16 °C: 9 records
16–18 °C: 28 records
18–20 °C: 4 records
20–22 °C: 892 records
22–24 °C: 4 records
24–26 °C: 1 records
26–28 °C: 1 records

Photos

Names and classification

English: Blunt-spined Microcosmus, Scale-bearing sea squirt, Scaly tunicate

Names in 1 more languages

French: Microcosme à écailles

Similar species

Tunicate
Microcosmus exasperatus
Microcosmus australis
Microcosmus curvus
Bristly Tunicate
Halocynthia igaboja
Mauve-mouth Ascidian
Herdmania grandis
Red-throated ascidian
Herdmania momus

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.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
3,417 open-data records from 1965 to 2024.
Species data updated November 4, 2026.

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