Size
The size of a red-throated ascidian varies with the age of an individual and the location in which it was found. A large body size usually indicates that the animal has reached sexual maturity and in populations of the Great Barrier Reef, this occurs then the animal is around the 5cm long (Degnan et al. 1996). Location is also important, with mature specimens from the tropical reefs of Heron Island reaching lengths of about 8cm whereas those from the subtropical populations surrounding Stradbroke Island growing up to 20cm - more than twice the size!
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