New Distribution Record and Ecological Notes for Iasis Cylindrica (Tunicata: Salpidae) in the Bay of Bengal

The occurrence of a pelagic salp Iasis cylindrica (Cuvier, 1804) is noted, for the first time, from Bangladesh marine water since its first record from the Bay of Bengal region nearly four decades ago. A total of eight solitary zooids of I. cylindrica were collected from a rocky intertidal habitat characterized by water temperature, salinity and pH of 30 °C, 31‰ and 8.2, respectively. The species was identified by examining morphological characteristics, for which detailed descriptions and photographs (both live and stained) are provided. Such information about the Bay of Bengal specimens of I. cylindrica is lacking in the literature. In addition, comparison between I. cylindrica and its closely related species of the genus Salpa are pointed out as they often co-occur.