| Berthella stellata | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Order: | Pleurobranchida |
| Family: | Pleurobranchidae |
| Genus: | Berthella |
| Species: | B. stellata |
| Binomial name | |
| Berthella stellata (Risso, 1826) | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
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Berthella stellata is a species of sea slug in the family Pleurobranchidae. It is found in shallow water in the Mediterranean Sea, the western Atlantic Ocean and the tropical and subtropical Indo-Pacific region.
This sea slug was first described in 1826 by the French-Italian naturalist Antoine Risso. He gave it the name Pleurobranchus stellatus, but it has since been moved to the genus Berthella , becoming Berthella stellata. It has a very wide distributional range, and morphological studies and molecular evidence suggest that it is a species complex consisting of at least eight species. These form a monophyletic group if Berthella strongi from the eastern Pacific Ocean is included. [2]
Berthella stellata is a slightly domed oval shape and can grow to a length of about 20 mm (0.8 in). It has a translucent whitish or golden-brown mantle through which the thin, flattened internal shell, [3] and the brownish visceral mass can be seen. The rhinophores are tubular and divided along their length; they and the buccal membrane extend far beyond the foot and are the same colour as the rest of the animal. The mantle surface is finely reticulated with white lines surrounding low raised areas. In the centre of the dorsal surface is a white cross, with short white diagonal lines lying between the arms of the cross; these markings are more visible in young individuals, with older specimens often having only the diagonal lines. [3] [4]
First described from the Mediterranean Sea, this sea slug has been recorded under various names from around the world including from the western Indo-Pacific, Réunion, New Caledonia, Brazil, the Caribbean, the Red Sea, south-eastern Australia, Baja California, Hawaii, the Marshall Islands and Japan. It occurs on rock surfaces from the intertidal zone down to about 10 m (30 ft). It is nocturnal, and hides in crevices and under stones during the daytime. [3]
Berthella stellata probably feeds by grazing on encrusting sponges in the family Oscarellidae. Scattered white spots on the surface of the mantle are glands that secrete acidic mucus to deter predators. This sea slug is a hermaphrodite, the genital openings being on the right side. A pair of slugs will orientate themselves so that the openings are in alignment, and fertilise each other. The eggs are laid in a whitish, coiled cylindrical, jelly-like ribbon about 15 mm (0.6 in) long. [3]
Bursatella leachii, whose common name is the ragged sea hare or shaggy sea hare, is a species of large sea slug: a marine gastropod mollusk in the sea hare family Aplysiidae. It has an almost pantropical distribution, from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean, but excluding the central and eastern Pacific Ocean. Its long planktonic larval period and short life cycle make able to colonise new areas and increase dramatically in number if food supplies are favourable.
The Pleurobranchidae are a taxonomic family of sea slugs, marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Pleurobranchomorpha.
Chromodoris elisabethina is a species of very colourful sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Chromodorididae.
Goniobranchus tinctorius is a species of colorful sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Chromodorididae.
Callistoctopus macropus, also known as the Atlantic white-spotted octopus, white-spotted octopus, grass octopus or grass scuttle, is a species of octopus found in shallow areas of the Mediterranean Sea, the warmer parts of the eastern and western Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and the Indo-Pacific region. This octopus feeds on small organisms which lurk among the branches of corals.
Felimare villafranca is a species of colourful sea slug or dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Chromodorididae.
Berthella ornata is a species of sea slug, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Pleurobranchidae. It is sometimes called the ornate side-gilled sea slug.
Goniobranchus lekker is a species of colourful sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Chromodorididae.
Hypselodoris carnea is a species of colourful sea slug or dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Chromodorididae.
Berthella is a genus of sea slugs, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Pleurobranchidae.
Mexichromis lemniscata is a species of colourful sea slug or dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Chromodorididae.
Goniobranchus reticulatus is a species of colourful sea slug or dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Chromodorididae.
Geitodoris planata is a species of sea slug or dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Discodorididae.
Berthella martensi is a species of sea slug, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Pleurobranchidae.
Chromodoris tenuis is a species of colourful sea slug, a marine gastropod mollusk, a nudibranch in the family Chromodorididae. The scientific name of the species was first published in 1881 by Collingwood.
Hypselodoris decorata is a species of sea slug or dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Chromodorididae.
Berthella ocellata is a species of sea slug, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Pleurobranchidae. It is native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea where it inhabits the shallow sublittoral zone.
Berthellina citrina, the orange gumdrop, is a species of sea slug in the family Pleurobranchidae. It is found in rock pools in the intertidal zone and in shallow water in the tropical and subtropical Indo-Pacific region.
Berthellina edwardsii is a species of sea slug, a gastropod mollusc in the family Pleurobranchidae. It is native to the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
