Distribution of ascidians in the intertidal zone of Victoria's rocky shores: records from Marine Research Group Field Season (2018-2019)

摘要

Studies of ascidians in the Victorian intertidal zone have concentrated on the 'Pyura stolonifera complex' (Rius and Teske 2011). This study is the first to investigate the distribution of other ascidians in the intertidal zone of Victorias rocky shores. Thirty-seven species were identified. The most widespread ascidian was Corella eumyota Traustedt, 1882. Reefs in the Bunurong Marine National Park contributed most to ascidian diversity. Invasive species known from Victorian bays and inland waterways were not observed at the 18 surveyed locations, but two introduced species were new to Victorian records: Aplidium benhami (Brewin, 1946) and Botryllus tuberatus (Ritter and Forsyth, 1917). This data, collected by the Marine Research Group of the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria, includes the first gathered from areas outside Marine Protected Areas, and adds to baseline data for sessile invertebrates on Victorian intertidal reefs.