Clubbed Tunicate

Scientific name: Styela clava Herdman, 1881

Common names: Clubbed tunicate, stalked sea squirt, solitary sea squirt, leathery sea squirt, Pacific rough sea squirt, Asian sea squirt

Native To: Eastern Asia

Date of U.S. Introduction: First observed on the Pacific coast in the 1930s

Images: Google

Means of Introduction: Probably introduced accidentally on the hulls of ships

Impact: Competes with and displaces native species

Current U.S. Distribution: Coastal regions of New England and the Western U.S.

Management Plans: Aquatic Species

Selected Internet Resources:

• Federal Government
• State Government
• University/Academic
• International
• Organizations

Styela clava
Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
Taxonomy

Styela clava Article Citation Search - AGRICOLA Database
USDA. National Agricultural Library.
Research

Styela clava - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database
DOI. USGS. Southeast Ecological Science Center.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Distribution; Special Note: Distribution maps and collection information (State and County)

Invasive Tunicate Species Management Program
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts

Invasive Tunicate Identification Card: Colonial Tunicate and Club Tunicate (PDF | 1.6 MB)
University of Washington. Washington Sea Grant Program.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Habitat

Biological Synopsis of the Invasive Tunicate Styela clava (Herdman 1881) (2007; PDF | 1.4 MB)
Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
Taxonmy; Identification/Description; Introduction History; Impacts; Life Cycle; Habitat; Distribution; Dispersion

Styela clava - Delivering Alien Invasive Species Inventories for Europe (Jan 2008; PDF | 163 KB)
European Commission. Sixth Framework Programme.
Taxonomy; Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Life Cycle; Habitat; Distribution; Dispersion; Controls

Sea Squirt (Clubbed Tunicate)
New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. Biosecurity New Zealand.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Impacts; Habitat; Distribution; Dispersion

Invasive Sea Squirt (Styela clava) Fact Sheet
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (New Zealand).
Identification/Description; Photographs; Impacts; Habitat; Distribution; Dispersion; Controls

Leathery Sea Squirt (Dec 2006; PDF | 110 KB)
Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. Främmande Arter i Svenska Hav (Alien Species in Swedish Seas).
Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Habitat; Distribution

Non-Native Species: Styela clava
Joint Nature Conservation Committee (United Kingdom).
Taxonomy; Introduction History; Impacts; Distribution; Dispersion

A sea squirt - Styela clava
Marine Biological Association (United Kingdom). Marine Life Information Network for Britain and Ireland.
Taxonomy; Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Habitat; Distribution; Dispersion

Styela clava, Leathery sea squirt - Invasive Alien Species in Northern Ireland
National Museums Northern Ireland (United Kingdom).
Identification/Description; Impacts; Life Cycle; Distribution; Dispersion; Controls

Styela clava (tunicate) - ISSG Global Invasive Species Database
World Conservation Union. Invasive Species Specialist Group.
Identification/Description; Impacts; Life Cycle; Habitat; Distribution; Dispersion; Controls

Organizations

Styela clava - Marine Organisms Database
Marine Biological Laboratory (Massachusetts).
Taxonomy; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Distribution

Styela clava - Guide to Marine Invaders in the Gulf of Maine (PDF | 311 KB)
Salem Sound Coastwatch (Massachusetts).
Identification/Description; Photographs; Illustrations; Introduction History; Habitat; Dispersion

Styela clava Herdman, 1881 - Guide to the Exotic Species of San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Estuary Institute.
Taxonomy; Identifcation/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Life Cycle; Habitat; Distribution

Invasive Tunicates in Washington State: Styela clava or Club tunicate
Washington Scuba Alliance.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Impacts; Habitat; Distribution