APHOTOMARINE

An educational resource dedicated mainly to the photography
and diversity of marine life that can be found in coastal waters
and intertidal areas of Great Britain and Ireland by David Fenwick.

A-P-H-O-T-O Wildlife Stock Image Library
Perophora japonica Oka, 1927 - Creeping sea squirt - a non-native invasive species (Tunicate images)
Scroll down and rollover titles to change screen image or click on title to view image.
This non-native invasive species has since Sept. 2017 been found in North Devon. Please e-mail records and images to APHOTOMARINE so the species can be tracked in the Bristol Channel.

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- zooids and terminal buds 1

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- zooids and terminal buds 2

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- habitat 1

Specimen above found at Baulk Head, Gunwalloe Fishing Cove, near Helston, Cornwall, 06.07.16. The species was found growing all over Baulk Cove frequenting dark overhangs that never get sunlight and rock crevices on the tide level of a low spring tide.

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- zooid lateral view 1

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- zooids attached to algae 1

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- zooids attached to algae 2

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- zooids attached to algae 3

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- zooids dorsal view 1

Specimens above found in a pool on the lowershore on a reef south of Fistral Beach, Newquay, Cornwall. 16.10.15.

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- on panel board Falmouth 1

Specimen above found on panel boards at Port Pendennis Marina, Falmouth, Cornwall. 30.06.15.

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- on pontoon at Helford 1

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- on pontoon at Helford 2

Specimen above found at the end of a pontoon at Helford Yacht Club, Helford, Cornwall, 29.10.15.

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- zooid lateral view 2

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- throwing star terminal bud 1

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- throwing star terminal bud 2

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- throwing star terminal bud 3

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- throwing star terminal buds 1

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- throwing star terminal buds 2

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- throwing star terminal buds 3

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- zooids lateral view 1

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- zooids lateral view 2

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- zooids lateral view 3

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- zooid lateral view 3

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- zooid lateral view 4

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- zooid siphon / top view 1

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- juvenile zooids 1

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- juvenile zooids 2

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- juvenile zooids 3

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- zooids / colony under rock 1

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- zooids / colony under rock 2

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- zooids / colony under rock 3

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- zooids / colony under rock 4

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- zooids / colony under rock 5

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- zooids / colony under rock 6

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- zooids / colony under rock 7

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- affected shoreline at St. Ives 1

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- affected shoreline at St. Ives 2

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- affected shoreline at St. Ives 3

Species found under and on the sides of rocks and stones, in crevices and on algae and bryozoans, on the lowershore, on a spit of shore to the north of Smeaton's Pier, St. Ives, Cornwall. 24.09.14.

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- at Godrevy 1

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- at Godrevy 2

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- at Godrevy 3

Species found overhanging and above a lowershore pool, near Godrevy Point, Gwithian, Hayle, Cornwal. 27.09.14 and 10.09.18.

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- in gullies at low tide level 1

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- in gullies at low tide level 2

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- in gullies at low tide level 3

Species found in gullies at low spring tide level at Barricane Beach, Woolacombe; and to the east of the bay at low spring tide level at Lee Bay near Ilfracombe, North Devon on the 19.09.17 and 20.09.17.

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- tightly packed colony 1

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- lozenge-shaped zooid 1

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- throwing stars on zooids 1

Creeping sea squirt
Perophora japonica
- stolons on tunicate 1

Specimen above is of a tightly packed colony found subtidally on a spring tide at Treath, Helford, Cornwall, 08.10.17.

Thanks go to both Dr. John Bishop at the Marine Biological Association in Plymouth and Dr. Bernard Picton for help with the original identification of this species. Thanks also to Lisa Rennocks.

There should be no confusion with the sea squirt and our native Perophora listeri, due to colour, P. listeri is transparent. Perophora japonica can also be recognized by the vivid yellow 'throwing star' terminal buds that it produces. No other species of Perophora produces terminal buds like this.

Perophora japonica creeping Alien species invader invading yellow Sea squirt Tunicate Images
The main objective of this website is in furthering environmental awareness and education through the medium of photography. To increase awareness and access to the wildlife of the region and help
people find and identify it. Sometimes the difference between species is obvious but many species can only be determined by observing microscopic characteristics that are specific to any one species.