RHOPALAEA CLONEYI (ASCIDIACEA, CIONIDAE), A NEW DEEP-WATER ASCIDIAN FROM THE COASTAL WATERS OF BRITISH-COLUMBIA

A new species of solitary ascidian from the British Columbia fjords, R hopalaea cloneyi is described. R. cloneyi is characterized by its stro ng musculature, consisting of 14-15 longitudinal bands which are branc hed several times on the ventral side, converging to the endostylar ba nd of the thorax. Its differences with the seven species of the genus Rhopalaea described up to the present are discussed. A checklist of th e associated benthos found with the nice deep ascidians from this area observed with the PISCES IV submersible shows that R. cloneyi and Bat hypera feminalba are found associated with the brachiopods Crania and Laqueus, the asteroid Mediaster aequalis and the anthozoid Stomphia.