CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE JAPANESE ASCIDIAN FAUNA XXX. -FURTHER NOTES ON JAPANESE CLAVELINIDS-

Abstract

Three more materials of Japanese clavelinids came into our hand after the Japanese clavelinids known so far had been reviewed (Nishikawa and Tokioka, 1976), two colonies collected from Sagami Bay and preserved at the Biological Laboratory of the Imperial Household, a single colony collected by Mr. Y. Yanagisawa from the Bonin Islands and a single colony collected by Prof. T. Kikuchi from the Ariake Sea, Kyusyu Island. The first included two species, Clavelina elegans (Oka) and a new species, the last was identified with C. elegans, while the second seemed to belong to C. molluccensis (Sluiter) that had not yet been recorded from the Japanese waters. As the range of morphological variations in C. elegans is known but still very insufficiently, it is considered significant to record some features of these two more colonies again in the present paper. In addition to this, a brief description is given as to C. molluccensis to confirm the identification and a full description is made on the new species of Clavelina, to which the name of viola is proposed by us for its characteristic colouration when alive. Before going further, we wish to express our gratitude for the privilege of examining the specimens of the Biological Laboratory of the Imperial Household and also our hearty thanks to Prof. T. Kikuchi of the Amakusa Marine Biological Laboratory of Kyusyu University and to Mr. Y. Yanagisawa, a graduate student at our laboratory, for their generosity in offering those interesting specimens to our examination.