Thalia (tunicate)

Thalia is a genus of tunicates belonging to the family Salpidae.
The genus has almost cosmopolitan distribution.
Species:

Thalia cicar
Thalia democratica
Thalia longicauda
Thalia orientalis
Thalia rhinoceros
Thalia rhomboides
Thalia sibogae

Sperm and egg interaction has been studied to discover if there are any shared features with other marine invertebrates. It was found that they are closely related to Ascidians and supports the idea that Ascidians gave rise to them.