Pelagic tunicates (Appendicularia and Thaliacea) of Sri Lanka: two first records with an annotated checklist Author Karunarathne, Krishan D. 0000-0003-1780-9749 Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries, Faculty of Livestock, Fisheries and Nutrition, Wayamba University of Sri Lanka, Makandura, Gonawila, 60170, Sri Lanka. & krishankarunarathne @ gmail. com; krishan. dk @ wyb. ac. lk; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 1780 - 9749 krishankarunarathne@gmail.com Author Croos, M. D. S. T. De 0000-0003-4449-6573 Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries, Faculty of Livestock, Fisheries and Nutrition, Wayamba University of Sri Lanka, Makandura, Gonawila, 60170, Sri Lanka. & dileepa _ dc @ yahoo. com; dileepad @ wyb. ac. lk; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 4449 - 6573 dileepa_dc@yahoo.com text Zootaxa 2021 2021-11-11 5067 3 352 376 journal article 3575 10.11646/zootaxa.5067.3.2 9b8d33b9-c9df-4f9d-abeb-de1c7b84f3e0 1175-5326 5681899 AF3DF45F-B248-4BDD-904F-F55D735DC867 Pegea confoederata ( Forskål, 1775 ) Salpa confoederata Forskål 1775: 115 . Salpa octofora Cuvier 1804: 579 , Fig. 7. Salpa scutigera Cuvier 1804: 577 , Figs. 4 , 5. Salpa quadrata Herdman 1888: 84 , Pl. 9 Figs. 1 –8. Salpa dolium Quoy & Gaimard 1834: 575 , Pl. 90 Figs. 1 –8. Pegea confoederata : Tokioka 1960: 396 . Van Soest 1974a: 171 , Fig. 15a; 1998: 235, Table 14.1. Madin & Harbison 1978: 338 , Fig. 3C, F . Godeaux 1998: 288 , 290, Figs. 17.16d, 17.20a. Gershwin et al . 2014: 16 . Kim et al . 2017: 455 , Fig. 1C . Purushothaman et al. 2017 . Ishak et al . 2018: 473 , Table 1 . Material examined. Nineteen aggregate zooids ( MDAFWU 2017 /479–496, 524), St .62, October to December 2017 ., 1 embryo and 5 aggregate zooids ( MDAFWU 2017 /473–478), St .81, July and September 2017 ., 1 aggregate zooid ( MDAFWU 2017 /472), St .133, June 2017 ., 8 solitary zooids and 19 aggregate zooids ( MDAFWU 2017 /497– 523), St .170, November 2017 ., 2 embryos and 13 aggregate zooids ( MDAFWU 2019 /120–134), St .205, December 2019 ( Fig. 3A–D ) . Description. Solitary zooid: Transparent body 18–60 mm long, with the pear-shaped test, smaller posteriorly ( Fig. 3D ). Both anterior and posterior terminal regions are thinner than the stomach region. Anterior muscle pair (M I–II) slightly touch forming a cross; posterior pair (M III–IV) do not touch each other; 18–32 muscle fibres per single band. The nucleus (stomach + intestine) is flatly encircled by the developing stolon. Aggregate zooid: Transparent body 19–55 mm long, with a cylindrical-shaped, thick, smooth test ( Fig. 3A, C ). The posterior terminal region is very thick, extended around the nucleus; no posterior projections or protuberances. Both muscle-band pairs (M I–II and M III–IV) are short because they are interrupted before reaching the mid-lateral region, and are linking (anterior pair slightly touching and posterior pair fused) in the mid-dorsally forming two crosses; 6–20 muscle fibres per single band. Nucleus (stomach + intestine) is spherical. Embryo 5–19 mm in length ( Fig. 3B ). Global distribution. The Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Australian waters, the Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea ( Van Soest 1998 ). Type locality: Eastern Mediterranean .