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 [...]
In Herdmania, digestive system includes the alimentary canal and digestive glands. Lying in the atrial cavity inside the mantle is a large bag-like pharynx or branchial sac. The wall of the pharyx is fused to the mantle along the anterior and ventral sides, on account of this attachment the atrial cavity is divided into right and left halves which are, [...]
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 [...]