Coryphellina rubrolineata

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Coryphellina rubrolineata
Flabellina rubrolineata 1.jpg
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Mollusca
Class:
Gastropoda
Subclass:
Heterobranchia
Superfamily:
Flabellinoidea
Family:
Flabellinidae
Genus:
Coryphellina
Species:
C. rubrolineata
Binomial name
Coryphellina rubrolineata
O'Donoghue, 1929 [1]
Synonyms
  • Flabellina rubrolineata(O'Donoghue, 1929)

Coryphellina rubrolineata is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch, a marine heterobranch mollusc in the family Flabellinidae. [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.

Aeolidida parvorder of molluscs

The Aeolidida is a taxonomic clade of sea slugs, specifically aeolid nudibranchs, marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Cladobranchia. They are distinguished from other nudibranchs by their possession of cerata containing cnidosacs.

Contents

Description

Coryphellina rubrolineata is a relatively large aeolid nudibranch growing to 42 mm in length. [3] The stretched out body has a sharp end at the tail, the dorsal side is covered with a certain amount of extensions called cerata, which size vary from an animal to another. The rhinophores are pointed and look like feathers. The oral tentacles are thin, cylindrical and longer than the rhinophores. [4] The coloration is variable and here's a description for the two main coloration which can be easily met underwater:

Nudibranch order of molluscs

Nudibranchs are a group of soft-bodied, marine gastropod molluscs which shed their shells after their larval stage. They are noted for their often extraordinary colours and striking forms, and they have been given colourful nicknames to match, such as "clown", "marigold", "splendid", "dancer", and "dragon". Currently, about 3,000 valid species of nudibranchs are known.

Cerata anatomical structures found in nudibranch sea slugs

Ceras, plural Cerata, are anatomical structures found externally in nudibranch sea slugs, especially in aeolid nudibranchs, marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusks in the clade Aeolidida. The singular of cerata is ceras, which comes from the Greek word "κέρας", meaning "horn", a reference to the shape of these structures.

Many colour variations exist and it is likely that this species is really a species complex. [5]

Species complex informal grouping of taxa

In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are very similar in appearance to the point that the boundaries between them are often unclear. Terms sometimes used synonymously but with more precise meanings are: cryptic species for two or more species hidden under one species name, sibling species for two cryptic species that are each other's closest relative, and species flock for a group of closely related species living in the same habitat. As informal taxonomic ranks, species group, species aggregate, and superspecies are also in use.

Distribution & habitat

This species was described from the Red Sea. Coryphellina rubrolineata is thought to be widespread in tropical, subtropical and temperate waters in the Indo-Pacific area and also as a migrant species in the Mediterranean Sea. [6] It is also commonly observed on shallow reef or rocky slopes rich in hydroids which represent its main diet. [7]

Red Sea Arm of the Indian Ocean between Arabia and Africa

The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. To the north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez. The Red Sea is a Global 200 ecoregion. The sea is underlain by the Red Sea Rift which is part of the Great Rift Valley.

Indo-Pacific A biogeographic region of the Earths seas, comprising the tropical waters of the western Pacific Ocean, the eastern Indian Ocean, and the connecting seas.

The Indo-Pacific, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, is a biogeographic region of Earth's seas, comprising the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the seas connecting the two in the general area of Indonesia. It does not include the temperate and polar regions of the Indian and Pacific oceans, nor the Tropical Eastern Pacific, along the Pacific coast of the Americas, which is also a distinct marine realm.

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.

Biology

Like mainly all aeolids, Coryphellina rubrolineata has the ability to store the stinging cells from cnidarians eaten. This stinging cells stock is a particularly effective means of defense and is located at the ends of cerata, it is contained in cnidosacs. [7]

Cnidosac

A cnidosac is an anatomical feature that is found in the group of sea slugs known as aeolid nudibranchs, a clade of marine opisthobranch gastropod molluscs. A cnidosac contains cnidocytes, stinging cells that are also known as cnidoblasts or nematocysts. These stinging cells are not made by the nudibranch, but by the species that it feeds upon. However, once the nudibranch is armed with these stinging cells, they are used in its own defense.

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References

  1. ↑ O'Donoghue, C. H. 1929. XXXVIII. Report on the Opisthobranchia. In: Zoological results of the Cambridge Expedition to the Suez Canal, 1924. Transactions of the Zoological Society of London 22(6):713-841.
  2. ↑ Gofas, S. (2015). Flabellina rubrolineata (O'Donoghue, 1929). In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2015-10-25
  3. ↑ Bidgrain, P. 2015. Flabellina rubrolineata (O'Donoghue, 1929). At seaslugs.free.fr, retrieved 2015-11-07.
  4. ↑ Cory Pittman and Pauline Fiene Flabellina rubrolineata Sea slugs of Hawaii.
  5. ↑ Rudman, W.B., 1998 (January 9) Flabellina rubrolineata (O'Donoghue, 1929). [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.
  6. ↑ Gosliner, T. M., & Richard C. Willan. 1991. Review of the Flabellinidae (Nudibranchia: Aeolidacea) from the tropical Indo-Pacific, with the descriptions of five new species. Veliger 34(2):97-133. page 114
  7. 1 2 Le Bris, S., Sutour, J.-M., in : DORIS, 29/3/2014 : Flabellina rubrolineata (O'Donoghue, 1929).
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