(Forskål, 1775)

Description
— Aggregate form with a loose flabby test. No posterior projections or protuberances. M1-M2 and M3-M4 touch (cold water animals) or fuse (warm waters) mid-dorsally, each muscle pair forming a cross. The muscle bands are short because they are interrupted before they reach the mid-lateral region. Stomach spherical (concentrated in a ball or nucleus).
— Solitary form with pear-shaped test, smaller posteriorly. M1-M2 and M3-M4 touch or fuse, each pair forming a cross. The gut is compact and closely encircled by the stolon.

Size
Length of aggregate form up to 150 mm; length of solitary form up to 120 mm.

Depth range
Epipelagic, living near the surface.

Distribution in the North Sea
Northern North Sea, very rare.

World distribution
Cosmopolitan, eurythermic species, occurring between ca. 60°N and 45°S. One of the more common salpid species.

Remark
The number of muscle fibers in M1-M4 in both the aggregate and solitary zooids shows clinal variation, decreasing from higher to lower latitudes, in other words, from colder to warmer waters (Van Soest, 1974; Van Soest, 1975b).

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Tunicata
Class Thaliacea
Order Salpida
Family Salpidae
Subfamily Salpinae
Genus Pegea
Species Pegea confoederata

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Accepted name: Pegea confoederata (Forskål, 1775)

Scientific synonyms and common names

Salpa confoederata | Forskål, 1775
Salpa gibba | Bosc, 1802
Salpa socia | Bosc, 1802
Salpa scutigera | Cuvier, 1804
Salpa octophora | Cuvier, 1804
Salpa vivipara | Péron and Lesueur, 1807
Salpa ferruginea | Chamisso, 1819
Salpa femoralis | Quoy and Gaimard, 1833
Salpa quadrata | Herdman, 1888

Apstein, C., 1905. Salpen der deutsche Tiefsee-Expedition. Wissentschaftliche Ergebnisse der deutschen Tiefsee-Expedition auf dem Dampfer "Valdivia" 1898-1899, 12(3): 245-290 (7 plates). Fisher Verlag, Jena.

Bone, Q. (ed.), 1998. The biology of pelagic tunicates. Oxford University Press, Oxford. 340 pp.

Godeaux, J., 1998. The relationships and systematics of the Thaliacea, with keys for identification. In: Q. Bone (ed.), 1998. The biology of pelagic tunicates. Oxford University Press, Oxford. pp 273-294.

Soest, R.W.M. van, 1974. A revision of the genera Salpa Forskål, 1775, Pegea Savigny, 1816, and Ritteriella Metcalf, 1919 (Tunicata, Thaliacea). Beaufortia, 22(293): 153-191.

Soest, R.W.M. van, 1975b. Zoogeography and speciation in the Salpidae (Tunicata, Thaliacea). Beaufortia, 23(307): 181-215.

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