| Pleurobranchaea maculata | |
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| Species: | P. maculata |
| Binomial name | |
| Pleurobranchaea maculata | |
Pleurobranchaea maculata, or the grey side-gilled slug, is a species of sea slug, specifically a side-gill slug or notaspidean. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Pleurobranchaeidae.
This species occurs around the North Island and South Island of New Zealand. In 2009 it was reported far outside its native range, on the coast of Argentina from where it spread rapidly, currently encompassing ca. 2,000 km along the southwestern Atlantic coast. [1] [2]
This side-gill slug is found intertidally in harbours, and to depths of up to 250 m off rocky coasts.
This slug has no shell. The coloration is pale grey, densely patterned with short, brown lines. The animal is up to 100 mm in length.
This slug eats sea anemones, marine worms, and molluscs.
In 2009, a major scare in the Auckland Region of New Zealand was sparked after several dogs died of tetrodotoxin poisoning after eating Pleurobranchaea maculata on beaches. [3] Children and pet owners were asked to avoid beaches, and recreational fishing was also interrupted for a time. After exhaustive analysis, it was found that the sea slugs must have ingested tetrodotoxin. [4]
Brettus is a genus of jumping spiders. Its six described species are found in southern Asia from India to China and Sulawesi, with a single species endemic to Madagascar.
Cocalus is a genus of jumping spiders that was first described by Carl Ludwig Koch in 1846, and is named after Cocalus, a Sicilian king of Greek mythology.
Amalda australis, common name the southern olive, is a medium-sized sea snail, a gastropod mollusc of the family Ancillariidae. These predatory snails live in the inter-tidal sand, an environment that lends itself to high probability of fossilization. Amalda australis fossils date back to the Pliocene and reveal morphological stasis.
Amalda mucronata is a species of medium-sized sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Ancillariidae. These snails live in the sandy subtidal near-shore environment where they eat bivalves. Fossil material of this species provides evidence of morphological stasis over 5 million years
Onithochiton neglectus neglectus is a subspecies of chiton in the family Chitonidae. This subspecies is endemic to New Zealand, being mostly found at the East Coast of the North Island and the South Island. O. neglectus neglectus is a brooding chiton, which means that the eggs develop attached to the body of females.
Woodworthia maculata, also known as the New Zealand common gecko or Raukawa gecko, is a species in the family Diplodactylidae. The specific name maculata means "speckled".
Carnley Harbour is a large natural harbour in the south of the Auckland Islands, a subantarctic part of the New Zealand Outlying Islands. Formed from the drowned crater of an extinct volcano, the harbour separates the mainland of Auckland Island from the smaller Adams Island. The harbour is sometimes referred to as the Adams Straits.
Chromodoris orientalis is a species of colourful sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Chromodorididae. Sea slugs are generally very beautifully colored organisms with intense patterns and ranging in sizes. The Chromodoris orientalis specifically is a white sea slug with black spots in no particular pattern with a yellow, orange, or brown in color ring around its whole body and on its gills. There is much discussion on where it is found, what it eats, how it defends itself without a shell, and its reproduction methods. This is all sought after information because there is not much known about these animals.
Asterivora urbana is a species of moth in the family Choreutidae. It is endemic to New Zealand.
Austrolestes colensonis, commonly known as the blue damselfly, is a species of damselfly of the family Lestidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and can commonly be found throughout the country, and at any time of the year. It is New Zealand's largest damselfly, and only blue odonate.
Planotortrix octoides is a species of moth of the family Tortricidae. It is endemic to New Zealand, where it has been recorded from the Chatham Islands only.
Suteria ide is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial gastropod mollusc in the family Charopidae .This species is endemic to New Zealand.
Brettus adonis, is a species of jumping spider of the genus Brettus. It is endemic to Sri Lanka.
Aponotoreas dissimilis is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is endemic to New Zealand.
Aponotoreas insignis is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is endemic to New Zealand.
Aponotoreas synclinalis is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is endemic to New Zealand.
Aponotoreas villosa is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is endemic to New Zealand.
Brettus cingulatus is a species of jumping spider of the genus Brettus. It is found in Myanmar and India.
Mecodema dunnorum is a large-bodied ground beetle in the Mecodema genus found in some native forest remnants in the Puhoi area, north Auckland, New Zealand. It is one of six endemic Mecodema species that are found in the Auckland entomological region, as per Crosby et al. 1976.
Wētā is the common name for a group of about 70 insect species in the families Anostostomatidae and Rhaphidophoridae, endemic to New Zealand. They are giant flightless crickets, and some are among the heaviest insects in the world. Generally nocturnal, most small species are carnivores and scavengers while the larger species are herbivorous. Wētā are preyed on by introduced mammals, and some species are now critically endangered.
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