Aplidium

Aplidium is a genus of marine invertebrates belonging to the phylum Chordata and the subphylum Tunicata. These are commonly known as sea squirts or ascidians. Aplidium species are colonial tunicates, meaning that individual zooids are embedded within a common tunic, a tough, gelatinous outer covering. The colonies can vary in shape and size, often appearing as gelatinous masses, encrusting forms, or even branching structures. They are filter feeders, drawing water into their bodies through an incurrent siphon and expelling it through an excurrent siphon after filtering out plankton and other organic particles.

The distribution of Aplidium species is widespread, found in temperate and tropical marine waters across the globe. They typically inhabit shallow coastal areas, often attached to hard substrates such as rocks, pilings, and the shells of other organisms. Reproduction in Aplidium can occur both sexually, with the release of gametes into the water, and asexually through budding. Larval stages are planktonic before settling and metamorphosing into new colonies. Some species of Aplidium have been studied for their potential biomedical applications, as they can produce unique chemical compounds.