Image of Clavelina huntsmani Van Name 1931

Description:

This actually is a colonial filter feeding animal, though the individuals are borne in separate tubes of tunic. The 'filaments' of the light-bulbs form a groove in the wall of the pharynx, the endostyle. Here iodine is extracted from sea water to form a compound akin to thyroxin. Larvae are brooded at the base of each light-bulb.