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Ecteinascidia turbinata
This is a colonial sea squirt composed of zooids connected by a series of stolons at the base of the colony. These stolons also serve as anchor points between the colony and the substrate. Each zooid is surrounded by a tunic that has an orange hole called a siphon (through which the water circulates). Its pigmentation is due to carotenoids located in this area; other parts of the tunic have carotenoids that give them a white, practically hyaline color. Although, depending on the geographical situation, we find species of Ecteinascidia turbinata with zooids of yellow, orange or pink colors.
Coastal salt lagoon of the Mar Menor (Murcia). Was floating in the water, but the normal thing is that it is attached to some stratum, such as rocks or piers.
There is an antitumor drug originally derived from the sea squirt Ecteinascidia turbinata and is currently being produced synthetically. The drug exerts its activity in tumor cells through its interaction with the transcription complex and by blocking DNA repair. It is used to treat soft tissue sarcoma and recurrent ovarian cancer.
Spotted on Aug 11, 2020
Submitted on Aug 11, 2020
14 Comments
Congratulations on the SOTW Eulalia. Great photos and really good write-up. Thanks.
Great spotting Eulalia,congrats on the well deserved SOTW and thanks for sharing.
LOVELY!
Congratulations Eulalia - great spotting !
Congratulations for SOTW!
Congratulation
Many thanks to the whole team. I'm very happy.
Congratulations!
Congrats Eulalia.
Hi eulalia,
This unique spotting and your detailed notes have earned you Project Noah's Spotting of the Week! Congratulations!
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This is a really interesting spotting - thanks for sharing the photos and the information.
“Your spotting has been nominated for the Spotting of the Week. The winner will be chosen by the Project Noah Rangers based on a combination of factors including: uniqueness of the shot, status of the organism (for example, rare or endangered), quality of the information provided in the habitat and description sections. There is a subjective element, of course; the spotting with the highest number of Ranger votes is chosen. Congratulations on being nominated!”
What interesting information! Great spotting!
What a fascinating creature! I had no idea something like this existed in the oceans. Thanks for sharing.