These cells are notable for their high levels of vanadium (concentrations 107 higher than that of seawater), which is typically a metabolic poison in other contexts.
They have a circular outline that decays into a rosette form upon desiccation, with several inclusions that almost entirely fill the cell.
The cell has a greenish color, varying from dark apple to scarcely perceptible, due to their vanadium complexes.
[5] Additionally, the vanadium complex itself is unstable, found almost exclusively in the air-oxidizable, +3 oxidation state.
[1] It has been proposed that the vanadocyte transports and processes nutrients, contributes to the polysaccharide external tunic, or serves as a defense mechanism.