The following outline classification illustrates the taxonomic system adopted in this work. All the genera listed, with the exception of Metcalfina, are covered in this section.
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Urochordata (=Tunicata)
Class Thaliacea
Order Salpida
Family Salpidae Franstedt, 1885
Subfamily Cyclosalpinae Yount, 1954
Genus Cyclosalpa de Blainville, 1827
Genus Helicosalpa Todaro, 1902
Subfamily Salpinae
Genus Salpa Forskål, 1775
Genus Ritteriella Metcalf, 1919
Genus Weelia Yount, 1954
Genus Thalia Blumenbach, 1798
Genus Thetys Tilesius, 1802
Genus Pegea Savigny, 1816
Genus Iasis Savigny, 1816
Genus Brooksia Metcalf, 1918
Genus Traustedtia Metcalf, 1918
Genus Ihlea Metcalf, 1919
Genus Metcalfina Ihle and Ihle-Landenberg, 1933
In the synopses on the following pages (Family Salpidae to Genus Ihlea), based largely on Yount (1954), Van Soest (1973a, b, 1974a, b, 1975a, b), and Madin and Harbison (1978), we present succinctly the necessary information to identify all the taxa so far recorded from the South Atlantic Ocean. The common Antarctic species Ihlea racovitzai is also included.
Thaliacea with both solitary and aggregate zooids in the life cycle. Both covered with a transparent test. Oral opening anterior; cloacal (atrial) opening posterior, dorsal, or terminal. Body muscles usually interrupted ventrally, sometimes also dorsally, or forming complete bands. Special oral and atrial musculature present. In the oral musculature, the muscle located immediately ahead of the body muscles, called "intermediate muscle", may be as broad as the body muscles. Pharyngeal and cloacal cavities separated by a gill bar lying between two large gill slits. Gill bar extending from the antero-dorsal surface to the esophagus located postero-ventrally.