Berghia verrucicornis

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Berghia verrucicornis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Mollusca
Class:
Gastropoda
(unranked):
clade Heterobranchia
clade Euthyneura
clade Nudipleura
clade Nudibranchia
clade Dexiarchia
clade Cladobranchia
clade Aeolidida
Superfamily:
Aeolidioidea
Family:
Aeolidiidae
Genus:
Berghia
Species:
B. verrucicornis
Binomial name
Berghia verrucicornis
(A. Costa, 1867) [1]
Synonyms [2]
  • Eolidia cavoliniiVérany, 1846
  • Eolis grossulariaP. Fischer, 1869
  • Facelina variegatad'Oliveira, 1895
  • Flabellina verrucicornisA. Costa, 1867 (original combination)
  • Spurilla margaritaeLabbé, 1923
  • Spurilla verrucicornis(A. Costa, 1867)

Berghia verrucicornis is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch. It is a shell-less marine gastropod mollusc in the family Aeolidiidae. [2]

In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. Other ways of defining species include their karyotype, DNA sequence, morphology, behaviour or ecological niche. In addition, paleontologists use the concept of the chronospecies since fossil reproduction cannot be examined. While these definitions may seem adequate, when looked at more closely they represent problematic species concepts. For example, the boundaries between closely related species become unclear with hybridisation, in a species complex of hundreds of similar microspecies, and in a ring species. Also, among organisms that reproduce only asexually, the concept of a reproductive species breaks down, and each clone is potentially a microspecies.

Sea slug group of marine invertebrates with varying levels of resemblance to terrestrial slugs

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 actually 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.

Aeolidioidea superfamily of small sea slugs, the aeolid nudibranchs

Aeolidioidea is a superfamily of sea slugs, the aeolid nudibranchs. They are marine gastropod molluscs in the suborder Cladobranchia.

Contents

Distribution

This species was described from the Gulf of Naples, Italy. [1] It is widespread in the Mediterranean Sea. On the eastern coasts of the North Atlantic Ocean Berghia verrucicornis is reported from the Bassin d"Arcachon [3] south to Senegal [4] and Ghana. [5] Reports of this species from elsewhere appear to be of similar separate species, in particular Berghia stephanieae .

Gulf of Naples bay

The Gulf of Naples, also called the Bay of Naples, is a roughly 15-kilometer-wide (9.3 mi) gulf located along the south-western coast of Italy. It opens to the west into the Mediterranean Sea. It is bordered on the north by the cities of Naples and Pozzuoli, on the east by Mount Vesuvius, and on the south by the Sorrento Peninsula and the main town of the peninsula, Sorrento. The Peninsula separates the Gulf of Naples from the Gulf of Salerno, which includes the Amalfi Coast.

Italy republic in Southern Europe

Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a European country consisting of a peninsula delimited by the Italian Alps and surrounded by several islands. Located in the middle of the Mediterranean sea and traversed along its length by the Apennines, Italy has a largely temperate seasonal climate. The country covers an area of 301,340 km2 (116,350 sq mi) and shares open land borders with France, Slovenia, Austria, Switzerland and the enclaved microstates of Vatican City and San Marino. Italy has a territorial exclave in Switzerland (Campione) and a maritime exclave in the Tunisian Sea (Lampedusa). With around 60 million inhabitants, Italy is the fourth-most populous member state of the European Union.

Mediterranean Sea Sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean between Europe, Africa and Asia

The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa and on the east by the Levant. Although the sea is sometimes considered a part of the Atlantic Ocean, it is usually identified as a separate body of water. Geological evidence indicates that around 5.9 million years ago, the Mediterranean was cut off from the Atlantic and was partly or completely desiccated over a period of some 600,000 years, the Messinian salinity crisis, before being refilled by the Zanclean flood about 5.3 million years ago.

Description

This species has a maximum reported size of 20 mm. [4]

Habitat

This species is found in depths of 0 m to 11 m. [4]

In the aquarium

The species from aquaria eating Aiptasia anemones has been called Berghia verrucicornis, but is actually the species Berghia stephanieae , which was described in 2005. [4]

<i>Aiptasia</i> genus of cnidarians

Aiptasia is a genus of a symbiotic cnidarian belonging to the class Anthozoa. Aiptasia is a widely distributed genus of temperate and tropical sea anemones of benthic lifestyle typically found living on mangrove roots and hard substrates. These anemones, as well as many other cnidarian species, often contain symbiotic dinoflagellate unicellular algae of the genus Symbiodinium living inside nutritive cells. The symbionts provide food mainly in the form of lipids and sugars produced from photosynthesis to the host while the hosts provides inorganic nutrients and a constant and protective environment to the algae. Species of Aiptasia are relatively weedy anemones able to withstand a relatively wide range of salinities and other water quality conditions. In the case of A. pallida and A. pulchella, their hardiness coupled with their ability to reproduce very quickly and out-compete other species in culture gives these anemones the status of pest from the perspective of coral reef aquarium hobbyists. These very characteristics make them easy to grow in the laboratory and thus they are extensively used as model organisms for scientific study. In this respect, Aiptasia have contributed a significant amount of knowledge regarding cnidarian biology, especially human understanding of cnidarian-algal symbioses, a biological phenomenon crucial to the survival of corals and coral reef ecosystems. The dependence of coral reefs on the health of the symbiosis is dramatically illustrated by the devastating effects experienced by corals due to the loss of algal symbionts in response to environmental stress, a phenomenon known as coral bleaching.

<i>Berghia stephanieae</i> species of mollusc

Berghia stephanieae is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Aeolidiidae. It was previously known as Aeolidiella stephanieae.

Related Research Articles

Aeolidiidae Family of molluscs

Aeolidiidae, a family of aeolid nudibranchs, are a family of sea slugs, shell-less marine gastropod molluscs.

<i>Flabellina</i> genus of molluscs

Flabellina is a genus of sea slugs, specifically aeolid nudibranchs. These animals are marine gastropod molluscs in the family Flabellinidae.

<i>Facelina rubrovittata</i> species of mollusc

Facelina rubrovittata is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch in the family Facelinidae.

<i>Berghia coerulescens</i> species of mollusc

Berghia coerulescens is a species of sea slug, a marine nudibranch in the family Aeolidiidae. It is the type species of the genus Berghia.

<i>Aeolidiella</i> genus of molluscs

Aeolidiella is a genus of sea slugs, aeolid nudibranchs, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Aeolidiidae.

<i>Facelina</i> genus of molluscs

Facelina is a genus of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch in the family Facelinidae.

<i>Spurilla</i> genus of molluscs

Spurilla is a genus of sea slugs, aeolid nudibranchs, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Aeolidiidae.

Berghia rissodominguezi is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch. It is a shell-less marine gastropod mollusc in the family Aeolidiidae.

<i>Berghia norvegica</i> species of mollusc

Berghia norvegica is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch. It is a shell-less marine gastropod mollusc in the family Aeolidiidae.

Berghia marcusi is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch. It is a shell-less marine gastropod mollusc in the family Aeolidiidae.

Berghia creutzbergi is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch. It is a shell-less marine gastropod mollusc in the family Aeolidiidae.

Berghia columbina is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch. It is a shell-less marine gastropod mollusc in the family Aeolidiidae.

<i>Luisella babai</i> Species of sea slug

Luisella babai is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Samlidae.

Berghia marinae is a species of sea slugs, an aeolid nudibranch. It is a shell-less marine gastropod mollusc in the family Aeolidiidae.

Berghia agari is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch. It is a shell-less marine gastropod mollusc in the family Aeolidiidae.

Eubranchus prietoi is a species of sea slug or nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Eubranchidae.

Spurilla braziliana is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch. It is a shell-less marine gastropod mollusc in the family Aeolidiidae.

<i>Exaiptasia</i> species of cnidarian

Exaiptasia is a genus of sea anemone in the family Aiptasiidae, native to shallow waters in the temperate western Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. It is monotypic with a single species, Exaiptasia pallida, and commonly known as the brown anemone, glass anemone or pale anemome,

References

  1. 1 2 Costa, A. 1867. [for 1864]. Saggio sui molluschi eolididei del Golfo di Napoli. Annuario del Museo Zoologico della Universita di Napoli 4(2):26-37, pls. 1-2.
  2. 1 2 Rosenberg, G.; Gofas, S. (2014). Berghia verrucicornis (A. Costa, 1867). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2015-02-23
  3. ↑ Bebbington, A., & Thomas E. Thompson. 1968. Note sur les opisthobranches du Bassin d'Arcachon. Actes de la Société Linnéenne de Bordeaux, ser. A 105(5):1-35.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Rudman, W.B., 1998 (July 2) Berghia verrucicornis (A. Costa, 1864). [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Accessed 13 September 2011.
  5. ↑ Edmunds, M. (1968). Eolid Mollusca from Ghana with further details of west Atlantic species. Bulletin of Marine Science, 18(1): 203-219.
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