Boltenia ovifera

Boltenia ovifera is a species of ascidian tunicate in the family Pyuridae. It is found in the Arctic to the South of Cape Cod. Boltenia ovifera has an average lifespan of 3 years and it can house small invertebrate creatures like the red king crab. They group in long stalks around 20-30 cm, they are found in the ocean on a substrata around 10-300m. Under a microscope it was observed that they have spines on their external surface. Inside the tunic, no real organized cellular system was observed. It was also noted that they have a single layer heart, where each cell had a single microfibril.

Scientists observed in the areas of sea potatoes, there were anemones and soft corals, which are both “Filter-feeding macroinvertebrates”. More profuse people are around the areas of the sea potatoes. The scientist concluded that the sea potatoes were acting as a “biogenic habitat to enhance local species richness in the rocky subtidal zone” (Francis et al. 1375).