Mesochordaeus

Mesochordaeus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Tunicata
Class:	Appendicularia
Order:	Copelata
Family:	Oikopleuridae
Subfamily:	Bathochordaeinae
Genus:	Mesochordaeus; Fenaux & Youngbluth, 1990
Species
	Mesochordaeus bahamasi Fenaux & Youngbluth, 1990; Mesochordaeus erythrocephalus Hopcroft & Robison, 1997;

Mesochordaeus is a genus of oikopleurid larvacean, related to Bathochordaeus.^[1]

Description

Mesochordaeus is a comparatively large larvacean, with a tail length reaching up to 50 mm (2.0 in). The genus is characterized by its large spiracles.

Distribution

Two species are known. Mesochordaeus bahamasi has been reported in the Atlantic Ocean near the Bahamas, while Mesochordaeus erythrocephalus has been found in Monterey Bay, California, sharing this habitat with its relative Bathochordaeus.

References

^ Hopcroft, Russell R.; Robison, Bruce H. (1999). "A new mesopelagic larvacean, Mesochordaeus erythrocephalus, sp. nov., from Monterey Bay, with a description of its filtering house". Journal of Plankton Research. 21 (10): 1923–1937.

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[1] Hopcroft, Russell R.; Robison, Bruce H. (1999). "A new mesopelagic larvacean, Mesochordaeus erythrocephalus, sp. nov., from Monterey Bay, with a description of its filtering house". Journal of Plankton Research. 21 (10): 1923–1937.

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