Ascidiacea | 
Stolidobranchia | 
Molgulidae
			
			
			
				Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range				
				
					Ecology				
				
			
			
				Sessile; brackish; depth range 0 - 90 m (Ref. 1603).  Temperate; 90°N -   41°S, 180°W -   180°E			
			
			
				
			
			
			
				Indo-Pacific, Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean, and the Arctic:  Europe.  tropical to temperate.
			
			
			
			
			
				Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
			
			
				Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm Max length : 4.0 cm WD male/unsexed; (Ref. 1749)			
			
			
						
			
			
			
			
				
					Attached to hard substrata or loosely attached on sandy bottoms; from lower shore to depths of about 90  (Ref. 1603).  Wharf piles, ships, etc. sea grass, sand or muddy substrates in large aggregates, to 30 m, in salinity 11 to over 20 parts/thousand (Ref. 1134).				
			
			
			
			
			
				Life cycle and mating behavior				
					Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae				
			
			
				
					Members of the class Ascidiacea are hermaphroditic; both cross- and self-fertilization is typical.  Life cycle:  Eggs develop into lecithotrophic larva before metamorphosing into benthic adults.				
			
			
			
			
			
				de Kluijver, M.J. and S.S. Ingalsuo 2006 Tunicata: Macrobenthos of the North Sea. Zoological Museum, University of Amsterdam. http://ip30.eti.uva.nl/bis/tunicata.php (Ref. 1603)
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
					
						IUCN Red List Status    
						 (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-1)
					
					
					
				
			
			
			
			
				CITES status   (Ref. 108899)
			
			
				
					Not Evaluated				
			
			
			
			
			
			
				
					Not Evaluated				
			
			
			
			
			
				Threat to humans  
			
			
				
									
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
				Human uses  
			
			
							
			
			
				 | FishSource | 			
			
			
			
			
			
Tools
			
			
			
			
				
					More information				
				
					 Trophic EcologyFood items (preys)
Diet composition
Food consumption
Predators
  Life cycleReproductionMaturityFecunditySpawningEggsEgg developmentLarvae   PhysiologyOxygen consumption
  Human RelatedStamps, coins, misc.
  
			 
			
			
			
				Internet sources
			
			
			
			
			
				Estimates based on models
			
			
			
									
						Preferred temperature  					
				 (Ref. 
115969): 8.4 - 24.3, mean 13.5 (based on 1814 cells).			
 
			
			
			
			
			
						
							
				
					
						Fishing Vulnerability  					
					
					
						Low vulnerability (10 of 100).					
				
						
						
			
									
						Price category  					
					
					Unknown.