sea grapes
Molgula arenata Stimpson, 1852
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Molgula arenata Stimpson, 1852
- Name authority
- Stimpson, 1852
- Common name
- sea grapes
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Ascidiacea
- Order
- Stolidobranchia
- Family
- Molgulidae
- Genus
- Molgula
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumTunicata
- classAscidiacea Blainville, 1824
- orderStolidobranchia Lahille, 1886
- familyMolgulidae Lacaze-Duthiers, 1877
- genusMolgula Forbes, 1848
- speciesMolgula arenata Stimpson, 1852
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Molgula. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Molgula aidae Oka, 1914 | MolgulidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Molgula antiborealis Millar, 1967 | MolgulidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Molgula appendiculata Heller, 1877 | MolgulidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Molgula azorensis Monniot C., 1971 | MolgulidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Molgula bathybia (Hartmeyer, 1912) | MolgulidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Molgula bouvetensis (Michaelsen, 1904) | MolgulidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Molgula brieni Monniot C. & Monniot F., 1976 | MolgulidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Molgula celata (Michaelsen, 1914) | MolgulidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Molgula celtica Monniot C., 1970 | MolgulidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| sea grapesMolgula complanata Alder & Hancock, 1870 | MolgulidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Molgula fortuita Monniot C. & Monniot F., 1984 | MolgulidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Molgula hartmeyeri Oka, 1914 | MolgulidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Ascidia psammophora Agassiz, 1850 Agassiz, 1850 | synonym |
| Caesira arenata (Stimpson, 1852) (Stimpson, 1852) | synonym |
| Caesira psammophora (Agassiz, 1850) (Agassiz, 1850) | synonym |
| Eugyra arenata (Stimpson, 1852) (Stimpson, 1852) | synonym |
| Euritteria arenata (Stimpson, 1852) (Stimpson, 1852) | synonym |
| Molgula psammophora (Agassiz, 1850) (Agassiz, 1850) | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Stimpson, W. (1852). Several new ascidians from the coast of the United States. Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., 4: 228–232. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:43VCZ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.