| Aiteng marefugitus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Heterobranchia |
| Family: | Aitengidae |
| Genus: | Aiteng |
| Species: | A. marefugitus |
| Binomial name | |
| Aiteng marefugitus Kano, Neusser, Fukumori, Jörger & Schrödl, 2015 | |
Aiteng marefugitus is a species of fully terrestrial sea slug found only on the Ulong Island of Palau. [1] [2] The species name is derived from Latin, meaning "fled from the sea". [1]
A. marefugitus is a very small slug, reaching only 5.0–5.5 mm (0.20–0.22 in). It possesses a dark grey mantle on a light grey body, with two tiny black eyes. Its external anatomy is similar to other species in the genus, having neither a shell nor gills. Its excretory system is characterized by a long nephridial duct, which is assumed to reabsorb salt from the slug's urine. It lays large oocytes, which could supply its young with enough yolk to allow fully terrestrial development of the eggs. [1]
A. marefugitus is a member of the order Acochlidia, of the clade Panpulmonata. Molecular analysis revealed the species as distinct from others in its genus, and showed the species split from a common ancestor of the other two species. This speciation is predicted to have occurred in the Miocene, roughly the same time the Palauan islands were formed. After the islands' formation, the humid climate and lack of competition may have allowed the sea slug to colonize a habitat which would lack native slugs. [1]
Ulong Island is a humid, tropical rainforest with rocky outcroppings. A. marefugitus is found at altitudes between 20 and 30 meters above sea level, where it lives within leaf litter. Though this species has not been observed feeding, other species in the genera feed on insect larvae, pupae, and gastropod eggs. [1]
A snail is a shelled gastropod. The name is most often applied to land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs. However, the common name snail is also used for most of the members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have a coiled shell that is large enough for the animal to retract completely into. When the word "snail" is used in this most general sense, it includes not just land snails but also numerous species of sea snails and freshwater snails. Gastropods that naturally lack a shell, or have only an internal shell, are mostly called slugs, and land snails that have only a very small shell are often called semi-slugs.
The clade Anaspidea, commonly known as sea hares, are medium-sized to very large opisthobranch gastropod molluscs with a soft internal shell made of protein. These are marine gastropod molluscs in the superfamilies Aplysioidea and Akeroidea.
Sea slug is a common name for some marine invertebrates with varying levels of resemblance to terrestrial slugs. Most creatures known as sea slugs are gastropods, i.e. they are sea snails that over evolutionary time have either completely lost their shells, or have seemingly lost their shells due to having a greatly reduced or internal shell. The name "sea slug" is most often applied to nudibranchs, as well as to a paraphyletic set of other marine gastropods without obvious shells.
Heterobranchia, the heterobranchs, is a taxonomic clade of snails and slugs, which includes marine, aquatic and terrestrial gastropod mollusks.
Sacoglossa, commonly known as the sacoglossans or the "solar-powered sea slugs", are a superorder of small sea slugs and sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks that belong to the clade Heterobranchia. Sacoglossans live by ingesting the cellular contents of algae, hence they are sometimes called "sap-sucking sea slugs".
Euthyneura is a taxonomic infraclass of snails and slugs, which includes species exclusively from marine, aquatic and terrestrial gastropod mollusks in the clade Heterobranchia.
Acochlidiacea, common name acochlidians, are a taxonomic clade of very unusual sea snails and sea and freshwater slugs, aquatic gastropod mollusks within the large clade Heterobranchia. Acochlidia is a variant spelling.
Parhedylidae are a taxonomic family of sea slugs, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Parhedyloidea.
Strubellia paradoxa is a species of freshwater slug, a shell-less freshwater gastropod, an aquatic gastropod mollusk within the clade Acochlidiacea.
Pseudunela espiritusanta is a species of sea slug, an acochlidian, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusk in the family Pseudunelidae.
Acochlidium fijiiensis is a species of freshwater gastropod, an aquatic gastropod mollusc within the family Acochlidiidae. Acochlidium fijiiensis has no shell.
Pseudunela is a genus of minute sea slugs, acochlidians, shell-less marine or temporary brackish or brackish gastropod mollusks in the clade Acochlidiacea.
Aiteng ater is a species of sea slug, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Aitengidae. The specific name ater is from the Latin language and means black, in reference to the appearance of the slug on the mud.
Aiteng is a genus comprising three species of sea slug, A. ater and A. mysticus being found in intertidal zones while A. marefugitus is fully terrestrial. Aiteng is the only genus in the family Aitengidae. The generic name Aiteng is derived from the name of a black puppet Ai Theng, which is one of the shadow play puppets in southern Thailand.
Panpulmonata is a taxonomic clade of snails and slugs in the clade Heterobranchia within the clade Euthyneura.
Aiteng mysticus is a species of sea slug in the family Aitengidae, found around Hisamatsu, Miyako-jima, Okinawa, Japan. Morphologically it clearly belongs to the Aitengidae, but it shows differences to Aiteng ater at genus or species level. Its affinity to Aiteng ater is confirmed by comparison of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA sequences.
Pontohedyle milaschewitchii is a species of sea slug, an acochlidian, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusk in the family Microhedylidae.
Pontohedyle is a genus of sea slugs, acochlidians, shell-less marine gastropod mollusks in the family Microhedylidae. Sea slugs in this genus are highly simplified and uniform.
Pseudunela marteli is a species of sea slug, an acochlidian, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusk in the family Pseudunelidae.
Bathyhedyle boucheti is a species of panpulmonate slug, a deep-sea dwelling gastropod native to the continental slope off the coast of Mozambique. It is the first ever such panpulmonate slug to be discovered at such depths. It is the only known member of its family group. Its radular formula is 1.1.2.