Melibe colemani

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Coleman's melibe
Melibe colemani 11096464.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Nudibranchia
Suborder: Cladobranchia
Family: Tethydidae
Genus: Melibe
Species:
M. colemani
Binomial name
Melibe colemani
Gosliner & Pola, 2012 [1]

Melibe colemani, also known as the Coleman's melibe, ghost nudi, or ghost melibe, is a species of nudibranch in the family Tethydidae. Discovered by Neville Coleman in 2008 off the coast of the island of Mabul in Malaysia, it was formally described by Marta Pola and Terrence Gosliner in 2012 and named in honour of its discoverer. It is found throughout the Coral Triangle region of Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

Contents

Due to its translucent body and network of brown tubules across its body, its appearance has been described as a "pile of strings" or a "string of snot in the water". This appearance is likely to serve as camouflage, resembling oceanic debris. Its strange appearance has led some to dub it "the holy grail of nudibranchs".

Taxonomy

Melibe colemani was first discovered in 2008 by Neville Coleman, [2] who published a photograph of M. colemani in his book Nudibranchs Encyclopedia. [3] The type locality was by the island of Mabul, Malaysia. Specifically "between the old training jetty and the new training jetty" as per the original description of the nudibranch. [1] The specific epithet commemorates Coleman, [4] [5] as the original discoverer who had passed away a month before the publication of Marta Pola and Terrence Gosliner's [6] original description in 2012. [1] [7] [3] It is commonly known as Coleman's Melibe, [4] the ghost melibe, [8] or the ghost nudi. [6] The vernacular name of "Coleman's Melibe" was given to it by Coleman himself as a tentative name, stating "it does not necessarily mean that when it is finally described that it will remain as that". [9] [7]

Phylogenetic analysis puts Melibe colemani in the same clade within the genus Melibe as Melibe engeli , Melibe digitata , and Melibe tuberculata as a sister taxon. The following is the cladistic diagram published by Gosliner and Pola: [1]

rest of Melibe
 
 

Melibe colemani

 
 
 
 
 

Melibe digitata

 
 

Melibe tuberculata

 
 
 

Melibe engeli

 
 
 

Description

The physical appearance of Melibe colemani has been compared to that of a "string of snot in the water" due to its network of tubules and translucent body. Melibe colemani in natural habitat (27699207222).jpg
The physical appearance of Melibe colemani has been compared to that of a "string of snot in the water" due to its network of tubules and translucent body.

Melibe colemani externally resembles the related Melibe bucephala and Melibe engeli . Its cerata bear elongate apical papillae akin to the other nudibranchs, with laterally flattened cerata, as opposed to the cylindrical cerata of M. bucephala and M. engeli. [7] [4] The rhinoporal sheath of M. colemani is cylindrical, with a single papilla on its apex. As opposed to the sail shaped rhinoporal sheaths with numerous papillae on the related species. [4] [7]

The body of Melibe colemani is translucent, with its internal organs visible to the naked eye. The digestive glands of the sea slug are visible as a network of whitish brown tubules. [5] The network of digestive glands has been compared to a "pile of strings", [6] or a "string of snot in the water". [7] The tubes act as camouflage, as the sea slug blends in with its surroundings to resemble a piece of debris on the sea floor, [3] or to resemble sponges, algae, or hydroids [7] on the sea floor. [2] The tube network extends onto the sea slug's back into organs known as cerata. At initial glance, the front and the back of the sea slug are indistinguishable, with the anterior end noticeable through the net-shaped mouth. [3] The body length is approximately 60 millimetres (2.4 in). [5] The net-like oral hood of the nudibranch serves as its mouth, and it swallows prey whole, like other members of the family Tethydidae. [1] The nudibranch is thought to feed on corals of the genus Xenia , and has been spotted interacting with flatworms of the genus Waminoa . [10] Dissection of its stomach contents revealed a diet of shelled caenogastropods. [1] Due to its strange appearance, the nudibranch has been dubbed the "holy grail of nudibranchs" by underwater photographers. [9] [3] [6]

Distribution

Melibe colemani is native to the saltwater seas of Southeast Asia, throughout the Coral Triangle region. First sighted on the island of Mabul in Malaysia, additional sightings were noted by the islands of Komodo and Lembeh in Indonesia, [11] as well as Romblon in the Philippines. [4] [3] Romblon in particular has been noted as a site where the nudibranch is particularly abundant. [6]

Habitat

Melibe colemani is found in warm marine waters, with one sighting in waters of 28 °C (82 °F) in temperature and 10 metres (33 ft) in depth, [5] and is often found near coral rubble of the genus Xenia , which serves as a possible food source for the sea slug. [9] [10] The observations of M. colemani in Mabul, Malaysia, are in association with the coral species Briareum . [1]

Related Research Articles

Nudibranch Order of gastropods

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", "dragon", or "sea rabbit". Currently, about 3,000 valid species of nudibranchs are known.

<i>Melibe leonina</i> Species of gastropod

Melibe leonina, commonly referred to as the hooded nudibranch, lion nudibranch, or lion's mane nudibranch, is a species of predatory nudibranch in the family Tethydidae.

<i>Nembrotha lineolata</i> Species of gastropod

Nembrotha lineolata is a species of nudibranch, a sea slug, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Polyceridae. It is found in shallow water in the Indo-Pacific. It was first described in 1905 by the Danish malacologist Rudolph Bergh. The type locality is Selayar Island, Indonesia.

<i>Melibe viridis</i> Species of gastropod

Melibe viridis is a species of sea slug, a nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Tethydidae.

<i>Melibe</i> Genus of gastropods

Melibe is a genus of sea slugs, nudibranchs, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Tethydidae.

<i>Bornella</i> Genus of gastropods

Bornella is a genus of sea slugs, specifically dendronotid nudibranchs in the family Bornellidae.

<i>Melibe rosea</i> Species of gastropod

Melibe rosea, the cowled nudibranch, is a species of sea slug, a dendronotid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Tethydidae.

Phyllodesmium Genus of gastropods

Phyllodesmium is a genus of predatory sea slugs, aeolid nudibranchs, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Facelinidae.

<i>Tambja</i> Genus of gastropods

Tambja is a genus of colorful sea slugs, dorid nudibranchs, shell-less marine gastropod mollusks in the family Polyceridae.

<i>Hypselodoris regina</i> Species of gastropod

Hypselodoris regina is a conspicuous species of sea slug or dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Chromodorididae.

<i>Berghia</i> Genus of gastropods

Berghia is a genus of sea slugs, aeolid nudibranchs. They are shell-less marine gastropod molluscs in the family Aeolidiidae. They are covered in cerata which give them their unique tentacle look and color. Berghia are commonly found in shallow waters and their diet consists of strictly Aiptasia Anemone. This genus is now commonly used commercially to fight off Anemone populations in fish tanks.

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

Anteaeolidiella poshitra is a species of sea slugs, an aeolid nudibranch. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Aeolidiidae.

<i>Protaeolidiella atra</i> Species of gastropod

Protaeolidiella atra is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Pleurolidiidae.

Hermosita is a genus of sea slugs, specifically of aeolid nudibranchs. Only two species are known to belong to this genus, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Facelinidae.

<i>Melibe papillosa</i> Species of gastropod

Melibe papillosa is a species of sea slug, a nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Tethydidae. This species is yellowish and somewhat translucent. The oral hood, which is large, has flattened hatchet-shaped cerata. It is found in the waters around Japan.

<i>Aeolidia filomenae</i> Species of gastropod

Aeolidia filomenae is a species of sea slugs, an aeolid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Aeolidiidae. Previously confused with Aeolidia papillosa, this species occurs on coasts of the NE Atlantic Ocean from Scotland south to Portugal.

<i>Baeolidia variabilis</i> Species of gastropod

Baeolidia variabilis is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Aeolidiidae found in the Philippines, the Marshall Islands and Papua New Guinea, central Indo-Pacific Ocean.

Janolus flavoanulatus is a sea slug species. The specific name is derived from Latin words flavus (“yellow”) and anulatus (“ringed”). These soft-bodied mollusks are known for their extraordinary colors and prominent forms. The first description of this species was reported by researcher Terry Gosliner, a leading researcher in the evolutionary history of nudibranchs. Upon his conducted research in the Philippines, Gosliner named Janolus flavoanulatus for its yellow ring around its cerata.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Gosliner, Terrence & Pola, Marta (September 2012). "Diversification of filter-feeding nudibranchs: two remarkable new species of Melibe (Opisthobranchia: Tethyiidae) from the tropical western Pacific". Systematics and Biodiversity. 10 (3): 333–349. doi:10.1080/14772000.2012.717551. S2CID   84749808 . Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  2. 1 2 van der Wal, Mark (9 November 2012). "Melibe colemani, a transparent nudibranch and stellar example of reef diversity". Reef Builders: The Reef and Saltwater Aquarium Blog. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bourbeillon, Corinne (5 June 2017). "Melibe colemani: the Grail of nudibranchs". petitesbullesdailleurs.fr. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Coleman's Melibe (Melibe colemani) - JungleDragon". www.jungledragon.com. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Kimoto, Nobuhiko. "イトクズメリべ Melibe colemani". 世界のウミウシ (in Japanese). Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "The Ghost Nudi - Melibe colemani". More Fun Diving. 17 February 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Miller, Michael D.; Behrens, Dave. "Opisthobranch of the Week is Melibe colemani". slugsite.us. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  8. ↑ Abourjeily, Serge (1 October 2015). "Melibe Madness in Lembeh". NAD-Lembeh Resort. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  9. 1 2 3 Kang, Albert (30 April 2019). "Coleman's Melibe". Project Noah . Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  10. 1 2 "Critters of the Lembeh Strait | The Melibe colemani Nudibranch". Lembeh Resort Dive Resort & Spa in Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. 15 July 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  11. ↑ Abourjeily, Serge (24 November 2014). "Melibe colemani in Lembeh". NAD-Lembeh Resort. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
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