| Pyura doppelgangera | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Tunicata |
| Class: | Ascidiacea |
| Order: | Stolidobranchia |
| Family: | Pyuridae |
| Genus: | Pyura |
| Species: | P. doppelgangera |
| Binomial name | |
| Pyura doppelgangera Rius & Teske, 2013 | |
Pyura doppelgangera, thedoppelganger cunjevoi, is atunicate that lives in coastal waters ofAustralasia attached to rocks or artificial structures.
This species is particularly common inTasmania.[1] It has also been reported fromSouth Gippsland,Victoria (Port Welshpool andPort Albert),South Australia (Adelaide) and the extreme north ofNew Zealand'sNorth Island.[1] Genetic data from rapidly mutatingmicrosatellites indicate that the species is native to Tasmania and that all non-Tasmanian populations were introduced through human activities during the period of European settlement.[2] The invasion success of the introduced populations varies depending on the presence of suitable substrates. While the species is rapidly expanding its range in New Zealand (where rocky shore habitat is continuous), the invasion of South Australia has stalled because the region mostly has sandy beaches, and settlement is limited to artificial structures.[3]
Pyura doppelgangera usually does not grow taller than about 50–60 mm. It has a browntunic that has sand embedded in it.[1]
Pyura doppelgangera is a member of the "P. stolonifera species complex", which includes at least five species of large, solitary ascidians that are all often incorrectly referred to asP. stolonifera in the literature. It shares a recent ancestor withP. praeputialis,[1] a larger species commonly referred to a "cunjevoi" or "cunjie", which is common in coastal areas of the south-eastern Australian mainland and which is anon-indigenous species inAntofagasta,Chile. Although a difference exists regarding the maximum body size of these closely related species, they are indistinguishable externally.[1] Genetic methods have recovered the two species as highly distinct evolutionary lineages.[1][4]
The species is namedPyura doppelgangera after theGerman wordDoppelgänger, which in its narrowest sense means "look-alike" (i.e. somebody who closely resembles somebody else). The name reflects the difficulty in distinguishing this species fromP. praeputialis because of their very similar morphology.[1]