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What are the three main classes of tunicates?
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tunicate
Blue spot sea squirt (Clavelina moluccensis), a colonial tunicate.
The three main classes of the subphylum Tunicata are as follows:
- Ascidiacea: Commonly known as sea squirts, these animals are largely benthic and sessile as adults. They may exist as solitary individuals or form colonies.123
- Appendicularia: Also referred to as Larvacea, these small, free-swimming, pelagic organisms retain their larval features, such as a tail and notochord, throughout their adult lives.123
- Thaliacea: These are pelagic tunicates that include pyrosomes, dolioloids, and salps. They are often adapted for life in open water and may exhibit complex reproductive cycles involving the alternation of sexual and asexual phases.13