State of knowledge of ascidian diversity in South China Sea and new records for Singapore

This is the first checklist of ascidians for the South China Sea and surrounding regions of Southeast Asian nations. Some 381 species of ascidians from 17 families (Clavelinidae, Diazonidae, Didemnidae, Holozoidae, Polycitoridae, Polyclinidae, Pseudodistomidae, Stomozoidae, Ascidiidae, Cionidae, Ciallusiidae, Corellidae, Perophoridae, Plurellidae, Molgulidae, Pyuridae and Styelidae) and 68 genera are documented in this paper. Only 155 species were recorded specifically from the South China Sea but the ascidian fauna of this area is poorly known. Records from the Philippines and Indonesia are somewhat better and are included. The ascidian fauna of major coastlines that border the South China Sea such as those of China, Vietnam and East and West Malaysia Peninsula are poorly studied and published data are lacking. A total of 13 new records of ascidians collected during the 2013 Singapore Straits Expedition are also listed, bringing the number of ascidian records for Singapore to a total of 50.