Botryllus schlosseri, commonly known as the golden star tunicate, is an invasive, colonial ascidian tunicate that grows on slow-moving, submerged objects, plants, and animals in nearshore saltwater environments.

Its range has spread over the last 100 years to a nearly worldwide extent. Ranging in the western Atlantic ocean from the Bay of Fundy to North Carolina, this is "the most common colonial tunicate in North America." This species can be distinguished from Botrylloides sp. by the pattern of zooid growth. B. schlosseri zooids emanate from a center in the manner of the arms of a star. Also, there usually are fewer zooids per cluster (5-8 in B. schlosseri and 10 or more in Botrylloides).

External links

• http://ip30.eti.uva.nl/bis/tunicata.php?selected=beschrijving&menuentry=soorten&id=21

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