Pyura squamulosa

Wilfried Bay-Nouailhat Hi, could you please help me again with this other sea squirt. It is 6 to 8 cm tall. Quite sensitive, it quickly closes its siphons when one gets near but opens them rather slowly and it's very contractile. Could this be Polycarpa pomaria? Rade de Brest, Brittany, between 8 and 10 meters deep.

Bernard Picton I think this is Pyura squamulosa. Many of these ascidians are really only described by their internal anatomy, so more photographs will be a useful resource for determining their external characteristics...

Wilfried Bay-Nouailhat Hi Bernard, according to the diagnosis we have, P. squamulosa seems to be smaller and its test more tessellated like the one of P. tessellata ?

Claire Goodwin I guess what is needed is a collection with photographs and dissection programme to match internal anatomy and external appearance up (similar to what we've been doing with sponges). Any volunteers?!

Nick Owen Been thinking along these lines myself for some time. But can anyone advise on where I would find out how to kill/dissect? Need to see it done. Feel like I need a running start and don't want to kill things just to make a big mess and prove nothing!

David Kipling First thing is accessing SW-buffered formalin - can you get hold of that Nick, after your comments about getting AR EtOH at a private address?

Becky Hitchin It's blooming impossible to get anything more toxic than seawater these days. I have a stash of formalin I was given by someone else, but end up using cheap vodka half the time to preserve things temporarily as decent amounts of IMS is hard enough to get!

Becky Hitchin Could we - thinking on my feet here - organise a weekend at some point later in the year for all people interested in participating in such a thing if Bernard Picton / John Bishop would help by coming along and guiding? I know Bernard wants to get some sort of wikipedia based database started, so maybe we could persuade him over? It would be a good idea I think to get everyone together and work out a Plan ...

David Kipling The thing that concerns me is the fixation handling aspect, and access to lab and training. No point in doing dissection training unless you have a safe environment to deal with the formalin usage. Not insurmountable an issue, but does feed in to who such dissection training would be aimed at.

Becky Hitchin Very good point

Claire Goodwin I agree with David about H+S and formalin. Building on Becky's idea (and Rob's squirt roadshow this summer) what about a Seasearch squirt collection workshop next year? Could book diving and providing had lab space allow time for workup - or build some days in at the end when diving finished (then would only need lab for a bit). If there was suitably tempting diving you might well get Bernard Picton along! I'd need to clear it with Bernard but we might be able to store the samples in our collections and if so could provide chemicals. Would be good to get a small bit of funding to subsidise some costs but not essential. What do people think? Any suggestions of places good for squirts? Can we make it mid to later summer so I'll be back in the water? (also ascidians reproductive by then which is needed for ID of some species). Would need to tempt some squirt anatomy folk along but there are several from the consultancies that are good at this (Ali Bessel etc).

Nick Owen Have lab at home with plans for fume cabinet, but need to see a modern one (thirty years since I saw one at all) and would love to see fixation, dissection, etc demonstrated. Seeing lots of squirts in Dorset, most of which remain "unbekannt". So please count me in on a course! Nick >________________________________

David Kipling Do you have problems getting hold of formalin Nick?