Fritillaria ragusina sp. nov., a new species of Appendicularia (Tunicata) from the Adriatic Sea

A new species of appendicularian, Fritillaria ragusina, is described from specimens collected between the surface and 300 m depth at three stations in the open south Adriatic Sea (north-eastern Mediterranean). Fritillaria ragusina is characterized by a broad trunk–tail connection created by a wide tail fin in the initial part of the tail, sloping shoulders of the tail fin, broad tail musculature, multiple fusiform amphichordal cells along the edge of the tail musculature and small size at sexual maturity (maximum recorded trunk length of 445 µm and maximum recorded tail length of 960 µm). Maximum abundance, 2.4 ind m−3, was found within the 0–50 m layer.