- Predatory tunicate
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Predatory tunicate 
Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Ascidiacea Order: Phlebobranchia Family: Octacnemidae Genus: Megalodicopia Species: M. hians Binomial name Megalodicopia hians
Oka, 1918 [1]The predatory tunicate Megalodicopia hians is a species of tunicate which lives anchored along the deep sea canyon walls and seafloor, waiting for tiny animals to drift or swim into its hood-shaped mouth. Looking something like a cross between a jellyfish and a Venus Flytrap, its mouthlike hood is quick to close when a small animal drifts inside. Once the predatory tunicate catches a meal, it keeps its trap shut until it is ready to eat again. They are known to live in the Monterey Canyon at depths of 200–1,000 metres (660–3,300 ft). They mostly eat zooplankton and tiny animals.
References
- ^ Karen Sanamyan (2010). "Megalodicopia Oka, 1918". In Noa Shenkar, Arjan Gittenberger, Gretchen Lambert, Marc Rius, Rosana Moreira Da Rocha & Billie J. Swalla. World Ascidiacea Database. World Register of Marine Species. http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=249571. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
Categories:- Tunicates
- Animals described in 1918
- Invertebrate stubs
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