The molgulid ascidians are a monophyletic group of tunicates that share specific morphological features, includ ing a heart/kidney complex and hermaphroditic gonads found on both sides of the adult. The larval body plan, however, is quite plastic, with tailless species evolving at least four times independently within the molgulids. The Roscovita clade of molgulid ascidians includes three spe cies that are found sympatrically in Roscojf, France, and includes both tailed and tailless species. Another species in this clade, Molgula pacifica, is a direct developing tailless molgulid ascidian within the Roscovita clade found on the outer coast of Vancouver Island. M. pacifica never hatch, and they undergo metamorphosis within the chorion. Molgula pugetiensis is a molgulid ascidian found in the San Juan Islands, but its development has not been reported. Here, we show that this species, belonging to the Roscovita clade, is a tailless ascidian species with that hatch from the chorion before metamorphosis, similar to the well described tailless Molgula occulta from Roscojf, France. Immediately after hatching, the tailless larvae develop am pullae and proceed to metamorphose into juveniles. Tunicates in the Molgulidae are a monophyletic group of solitary ascidians (Ascidiacea: Stolidobranchia) that are sis ter group to the families Styelidae and Pyuridae (1-3). Evidence from 18S rDNA shows that the stolidobranch tunicates may also be closely related to the appendicular ians, which include the pelagic oikopleurid tunicates that build mucous houses (2-4). Molgulidae is an interesting group for research on the evolution of body plans because it contains species that have urodele, tailed, chordate larvae with notochord and muscle as well as closely related species