Dendronotus albus

Dendronotus albus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
(unranked):	clade Heterobranchia ; clade Euthyneura ; clade Nudipleura ; clade Nudibranchia ; clade Dexiarchia ; clade Cladobranchia ; clade Dendronotida
Superfamily:	Tritonioidea
Family:	Dendronotidae
Genus:	Dendronotus
Species:	D. albus
Binomial name
	Dendronotus albus; (MacFarland, 1966) [1]
Synonyms [2]
	Dendronotus diversicolorRobilliard, 1970 [3]

Last updated March 24, 2019

Dendronotus albus is a species of sea slug, a dendronotid nudibranch, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusc in the family Dendronotidae.^[4]

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 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.

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.

Distribution

This species was described from shallow water at Point Pinos, Monterey Bay, California, United States. It has been reported from the west coast of North America from Alaska to Baja California, Mexico.^[5]

Monterey Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean located on the coast of the U.S. state of California. The bay is south of the major cities of San Francisco and San Jose. The county-seat city of Santa Cruz is located at the north end of the bay. The city of Monterey is on the Monterey Peninsula at the south end. The Monterey Bay Area is a local colloquialism sometimes used to describe the whole of the Central Coast communities of Santa Cruz and Monterey counties.

California is a state in the Pacific Region of the United States. With 39.6 million residents, California is the most populous U.S. state and the third-largest by area. The state capital is Sacramento. The Greater Los Angeles Area and the San Francisco Bay Area are the nation's second and fifth most populous urban regions, with 18.7 million and 9.7 million residents respectively. Los Angeles is California's most populous city, and the country's second most populous, after New York City. California also has the nation's most populous county, Los Angeles County, and its largest county by area, San Bernardino County. The City and County of San Francisco is both the country's second-most densely populated major city after New York City and the fifth-most densely populated county, behind only four of the five New York City boroughs.

North America is a continent entirely within the Northern Hemisphere and almost all within the Western Hemisphere; it is also considered by some to be a northern subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean, and to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea.

Taxonomic history

Robilliard^[3] correctly recognised that there were two species of Dendronotus in the NE Pacific and described Dendronotus diversicolor as a new species. D. albus and D. diversicolor were synonymised by Stout et al., 2010, probably because the specimens they studied did not include both species.^[2] In fact Robilliard consistently used the name D. albus for Dendronotus robilliardi and redescribed the true D. albus as D. diversicolor.^[5]

Dendronotus robilliardi is a species of sea slugs, a dendronotid nudibranch, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusc in the family Dendronotidae.

Description

This species grows to a maximum length of 73 mm.^[3] It is distinguished from Dendronotus robilliardi by having only four pairs of large cerata (and two extra, small cerata in big animals). D . robilliardi is a smaller animal but has 5-7 pairs.^[3] The body and cerata are translucent white with opaque white and orange-yellow tips to the cerata, although in some cases the orange-yellow is absent.^[6]

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.

Diet

This species feeds preferentially on the hydroids Abietinaria greenei , Hydrallmania distans and Abietinaria amphora .^[3]Dendronotus robilliardi is said to prefer Thuiaria argentea in the family Sertulariidae.^[3]

Hydroids are a life stage for most animals of the class Hydrozoa, small predators related to jellyfish. Some hydroids such as the freshwater Hydra are solitary, with the polyp attached directly to the substrate. When these produce buds, they become detached and grow on as new individuals.

Sertulariidae is a family of hydrozoans.

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References

↑ MacFarland F.M. (1966) Studies of opisthobranchiate mollusks of the pacific coast of North America. Memoirs of the California Academy of Sciences VI: 1-546. page(s): 147.
1 2 Stout C.C., Pola M. & Valdés Á. (2010) Phylogenetic analysis of Dendronotus nudibranchs with emphasis on northeastern Pacific species. Journal of Molluscan Studies 76: 367-375. page(s): 373
1 2 3 4 5 6 Robilliard, G.A. (1970) The systematics and some aspects of the ecology of the genus Dendronotus (Gastropoda: Nudibranchia). The Veliger, 12(4): 433–479.
↑ Bouchet, P. (2015). Dendronotus albus. In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2016-01-26.
1 2 Korshunova T., Sanamyan N., Zimina O., Fletcher K. & Martynov A. (2016). Two new species and a remarkable record of the genus Dendronotus from the North Pacific and Arctic oceans (Nudibranchia). ZooKeys. 630: 19-42, page(s): 28, figs 2, 3B
↑ Rudman, W.B., 2005 (October 3) Dendronotus diversicolor Robilliard, 1970. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.

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[MacFarland1966-1] MacFarland F.M. (1966) Studies of opisthobranchiate mollusks of the pacific coast of North America. Memoirs of the California Academy of Sciences VI: 1-546. page(s): 147.

[Stout-2] 1 2 Stout C.C., Pola M. & Valdés Á. (2010) Phylogenetic analysis of Dendronotus nudibranchs with emphasis on northeastern Pacific species. Journal of Molluscan Studies 76: 367-375. page(s): 373

[Rob1970-3] 1 2 3 4 5 6 Robilliard, G.A. (1970) The systematics and some aspects of the ecology of the genus Dendronotus (Gastropoda: Nudibranchia). The Veliger, 12(4): 433–479.

[Bouchet-4] Bouchet, P. (2015). Dendronotus albus. In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2016-01-26.

[TK2016-5] 1 2 Korshunova T., Sanamyan N., Zimina O., Fletcher K. & Martynov A. (2016). Two new species and a remarkable record of the genus Dendronotus from the North Pacific and Arctic oceans (Nudibranchia). ZooKeys. 630: 19-42, page(s): 28, figs 2, 3B

[ssf-6] Rudman, W.B., 2005 (October 3) Dendronotus diversicolor Robilliard, 1970. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.