elSSN : 2234-8190
elSSN : 2234-8190
elSSN : 2234-8190
Taxonomic Review of Genus Chelyosoma (Phlebobranchia: Corellidae) from Korea
Su Yuan Seo*
Natural History Museum, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Korea
The genus Chelyosoma is clearly distinguished from other taxa of sea squirts by a presence of the branchial sac with curved stigmata and the dorsal side of the body modified into a bounded disk. Solitary ascidians, Chelyosoma siboja and Chelyosoma yezoense, are reported for the first time in Korean waters with description and illustration. Chelyosoma siboja and Chelyosoma yezoense have intermediate plates and unpaired central plates. The former has two intermediate plates while the latter has four or more intermediate plates regardless of the size of the individual. Specimens of the genus Chelyosoma collected from 1961 to 2021 and stored in the Natural History Museums of Ewha Womans University and Marine Tunicate Resources Bank of Korea were morphologically reviewed. These samples were collected from coastal waters of the South Sea and the East Sea. As a result of this study, three species of the genus Chelyosoma are now recorded in Korean fauna.
review, solitary ascidians, Chelyosoma, plates, Korean fauna