Mandela's nudibranch

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Mandela's nudibranch
Mandelia mirocornata.jpg
A close-up of an individual of Mandela mirocornata showing gill rosette
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Nudibranchia
Superfamily: Phyllidioidea
Family: Mandeliidae
Genus: Mandelia
Valdés & Gosliner, 1999

Mandela's nudibranch, Mandelia mirocornata, is a species of sea slug, a dorid nudibranch. It is a marine gastropod mollusc, the only member of the genus Mandelia and the family Mandeliidae. The genus and family name honor Nelson Mandela, the former President of South Africa. [1]

Contents

Distribution

This species has so far only been found around the southern African coast from the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula [2] to Port Elizabeth in 10–400 m of water. It is probably endemic. [3]

Description

The unusual oblong rhinophores of Mandela's nudibranch Mandelia mirocornata closeup.jpg
The unusual oblong rhinophores of Mandela's nudibranch

Mandela's nudibranch has a bumpy dirty white to brown skin. It has black spots scattered over the notum. Its gills and rhinophores are large and creamy-coloured. The rhinophores are perfoliate, but are oblong rather than round. The animal may also have irregular brown stripes rather than spots on the notum, radiating out to the margins. It may reach a total length of 70 mm. [4]

Distinguishing features

The body is dirty white or pale brown with irregular solid black spots and a bumpy surface texture. In water, the oblong, creamy rhinophores (chemosensory tentacles) are visible. The dorsal surface is often translucent, partially revealing internal organs. The body is white to cream with brown or black blotches, accompanied by creamy rhinophores and gills. [5]

Ecology

This species feeds on sponges.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Valdés À. & Gosliner T. M. (1999). "Phylogeny of the radula-less dorids (Mollusca, Nudibranchia), with the description of a new genus and a new family". Zoologica Scripta 28: 315-360. doi : 10.1046/j.1463-6409.1999.00014.x.
  2. ↑ "Biodiversity Explorer Website, Accessed 23 August 2009". Archived from the original on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2009.
  3. ↑ GOSLINER, T.M. 1987. Nudibranchs of Southern Africa ISBN   0-930118-13-8
  4. ↑ ZSILAVECZ, G. 2007. Nudibranchs of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay. ISBN   0-620-38054-3
  5. ↑ Herbert, D.G., Jones, G.J. & Atkinson, L.J. (2018). Phylum Mollusca. In: Atkinson, L.J. and Sink, K.J. (eds) Field Guide to the Offshore Marine Invertebrates of South Africa. Pretoria: Malachite Marketing and Media. p. 289. doi:10.15493/SAEON.PUB.10000001. ISBN   978-1-86868-098-6 . Retrieved 26 October 2024.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) Creative Commons by-sa small.svg  This article incorporates textfrom this source, which is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.
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