Aplidium californicum

Aplidium californicum
	Aplidium californicum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Tunicata
Class:	Ascidiacea
Order:	Enterogona
Family:	Polyclinidae
Genus:	Aplidium
Species:	A. californicum
Binomial name
	Aplidium californicum; (Ritter & Forsyth, 1917)[1]
Synonyms
	Amaroucium californicum Ritter & Forsyth, 1917

Aplidium californicum is a species of colonial sea squirt, a tunicate in the family Polyclinidae. It is commonly known as sea pork.

Description

Aplidium californicum is a compound tunicate forming sheets, mounds or slabs on rocks and other hard substrates. The tunic is jelly-like in consistency, 1 to 3 cm thick and a shiny yellow, orange, reddish-brown or a translucent white colour. The individual zooids are brown or buff, 6 mm long and arranged in oval or elongate systems. Each one is subdivided into a thorax, an abdomen and a postabdomen. There are usually 10 to 12 rows of perforations.[2][3]

Distribution

Aplidium californicum is common on the west coast of North America from British Columbia south to Baja California, Mexico and the Galapagos Islands.[2] It is found in the intertidal zone and at depths down to 85 metres.[3]

Biology

Aplidium californicum is a filter feeder. Water is sucked into the interior of the organism through a siphon and then expelled through another one. Phytoplankton and other small organisms get trapped in mucus threads secreted by the endostyle. The tunicate seems to form a symbiotic relationship with the bryozoan Bugula neritina.[4]

Certain antineoplastic agents, bryostatins 4 and 5, have been extracted from Aplidium californicum and are being evaluated.[4]

References

Aplidium californicum (Ritter & Forsyth, 1917) World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2011-11-21.
Aplidium californicum Ascidians. Retrieved 2011-11-21.
Aplidium californicum (Ritter & Forsyth 1917) Archived April 7, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Marine Biodiversity of British Columbia. Retrieved 2011-11-21.
Pettit GR, Leet JE, Herald CL, Kamano Y, Doubek DL (1986). "Antineoplastic agents, 116. An evaluation of the marine ascidian Aplidium californicum". Journal of Natural Products. PubMed. 49 (2): 231–5. doi:10.1021/np50044a006. PMID 3734809.

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[WoRMS-1] Aplidium californicum (Ritter & Forsyth, 1917) World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2011-11-21.

[Stanford-2] Aplidium californicum Ascidians. Retrieved 2011-11-21.

[MBBC-3] Aplidium californicum (Ritter & Forsyth 1917) Archived April 7, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Marine Biodiversity of British Columbia. Retrieved 2011-11-21.

[JoNP-4] Pettit GR, Leet JE, Herald CL, Kamano Y, Doubek DL (1986). "Antineoplastic agents, 116. An evaluation of the marine ascidian Aplidium californicum". Journal of Natural Products. PubMed. 49 (2): 231–5. doi:10.1021/np50044a006. PMID 3734809.