Development of Herdmania has been described by Sebastian (1953) and Das (1957). Development is indirect involving a free swimming tadpole larva. Herdmania (a tunicate) is the most appropriate one of the best examples of retrogressive metamorphosis in which the highly developed tadpole larva undergoes retrogressive changes to become the most degenerated and sedentary adult. The phenomenon of retrogressive metamorphosis is [...]
There is an oval neural gland of brown colour lying immediately above the brain. It is embedded in the mantle in the intersiphonal region and is 4 × 1 mm in size. It has several branching tubules, which open in a non-ciliated canal running along the entire length of the gland. It leads into a short duct which opens by [...]
The animal is hermaphrodite or bisexual and protogynous, i.e., ovary matures first, thus, self-fertilisation is avoided. Gonads: There are two large gonads embedded in the mantle, the left one lies in the loop of the intestine and the right one dorsal to the heart. Each gonad is about 3 × 1 cm, and consists of 10 to 25 lobes lying [...]