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Antiopella Capensis
''Antiopella capensis'', originally described as ''Janolus capensis'', the Cape silvertip nudibranch, is a beautiful species of nudibranch, or sea slug. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Proctonotidae. Apart from striking differences in the egg ribbons, individuals of this species are externally not distinguishable from the medallion silvertip nudibranch, ''Antiopella longidentata''. Distribution This species is endemic to the South African coast and is found only from Saldanha Bay to East London, from the intertidal border to at least 40 m. Description The Cape silvertip nudibranch grows up to 40 mm in total length. It is a pale-bodied nudibranch with dark- to tan-coloured cerata with white tips. Its rhinophores are white and rolled. They are separated from one another by an opaque white spherical mass of unknown function known as the rhinophoral crest. Ecology This species of nudibranch feeds on moss animals, bryozoans such as ''Menipea triseriata ''Menip ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Janolus Longidentatus
''Janolus longidentatus'', the medallion silvertip nudibranch, is a spectacular-looking species of nudibranch, or sea slug. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Proctonotidae. Apart from striking differences in the egg ribbons, individuals of this species are externally not distinguishable from the Cape silvertip nudibranch. Distribution This species is endemic to the South African __NOTOC__ South African may relate to: * The nation of South Africa * South African Airways * South African English * South African people * Languages of South Africa * Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the Afric ... coast and is found on both sides of the Cape Peninsula, from the intertidal border to at least 30 m. Description The medallion silvertip nudibranch grows up to 40mm in total length. It is a pale-bodied nudibranch with dark- to tan-coloured cerata with white tips. Its rhinophores are white and rolled. They are separated from one another ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sea Slug
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 gastropods, i.e. they are sea snails (marine gastropod mollusks) 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. Sea slugs have an enormous variation in body shape, color, and size. Most are partially translucent. The often bright colors of reef-dwelling species implies that these animals are under constant threat of predators, but the color can serve as a warning to other animals of the sea slug's toxic stinging cells (nematocysts) or offensive taste. Like all gastropods, they have small, razor-sharp teeth, called radulas. Most sea slugs have a pair of rhinophores—sensory te ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Menipea Triseriata
''Menipea'' is a genus of bryozoans belonging to the family Candidae. The genus has almost cosmopolitan distribution In biogeography, cosmopolitan distribution is the term for the range of a taxon that extends across all or most of the world in appropriate habitats. Such a taxon, usually a species, is said to exhibit cosmopolitanism or cosmopolitism. The ext .... Species: *'' Menipea biaviculata'' *'' Menipea bicellata'' *'' Menipea columnaris'' *'' Menipea crassa'' *'' Menipea crispa'' *'' Menipea elongata'' *'' Menipea flabellum'' *'' Menipea flagellifera'' *'' Menipea floccosa'' *'' Menipea innocua'' *'' Menipea integra'' *'' Menipea kempi'' *'' Menipea ligulata'' *'' Menipea lineata'' *'' Menipea marionensis'' *'' Menipea multipartita'' *'' Menipea multiseriata'' *'' Menipea ornata'' *'' Menipea patagonica'' *'' Menipea retroversa'' *'' Menipea roborata'' *'' Menipea salvati'' *'' Menipea simplex'' *'' Menipea spicata'' *'' Menipea triseriata'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bryozoa
Bryozoa (also known as the Polyzoa, Ectoprocta or commonly as moss animals) are a phylum of simple, aquatic invertebrate animals, nearly all living in sedentary colonies. Typically about long, they have a special feeding structure called a lophophore, a "crown" of tentacles used for filter feeding. Most marine bryozoans live in tropical waters, but a few are found in oceanic trenches and polar waters. The bryozoans are classified as the marine bryozoans (Stenolaemata), freshwater bryozoans (Phylactolaemata), and mostly-marine bryozoans (Gymnolaemata), a few members of which prefer brackish water. 5,869living species are known. At least two genera are solitary (''Aethozooides'' and ''Monobryozoon''); the rest are colonial. The terms Polyzoa and Bryozoa were introduced in 1830 and 1831, respectively. Soon after it was named, another group of animals was discovered whose filtering mechanism looked similar, so it was included in Bryozoa until 1869, when the two groups were no ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rhinophores
A rhinophore is one of a pair of chemosensory club-shaped, rod-shaped or ear-like structures which are the most prominent part of the external head anatomy in sea slugs, marine gastropod opisthobranch mollusks such as the nudibranchs, sea hares (Aplysiomorpha), and sap-sucking sea slugs (Sacoglossa). Etymology The name relates to the rhinophore's function as an organ of "smell". ''Rhino-'' means nose from Ancient Greek ῥίς ''rhis'' and from its genitive ῥινός ''rhinos''. "Phore" means "to bear" from New Latin ''-phorus'' and from Greek -phoros (φορος) "bearing", a derivative of ''phérein'' (φέρειν). Function Rhinophores are scent or taste receptors, also known as chemosensory organs situated on the dorsal surface of the head. They are primarily used for distance chemoreception and rheoreception (response to water current). The "scents" detected by rhinophores are chemicals dissolved in the sea water. The fine structure and hairs of the rhinophore ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cerata
:''The tortrix moth genus ''Cerata'' is considered a junior synonym of ''Cydia. Cerata, singular ceras, are anatomical structures found externally in nudibranch sea slugs, especially in aeolid nudibranchs, marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusks in the clade Aeolidida. The word ceras comes from the Greek word "κέρας", meaning "horn", a reference to the shape of these structures. Cerata are dorsal and lateral outgrowths on the upper surfaces of the body of these nudibranchs. Function Cerata greatly extend the surface area of nudibranchs and aid in respiration, the process of gas exchange for metabolic use. Cerata are also used, in some cases, for attack and defense. In many aeolid nudibranchs, the digestive system extends into the cerata. These nudibranchs eat stinging celled animals (Cnidarians) such as anemones, hydroids and sea fans or Portuguese men o' war. The stinging cells or nematocysts are passed unharmed through the digestive system to cnidosacs at the tips of t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of Marine Heterobranch Gastropods Of South Africa
The list of marine heterobranch gastropods of South Africa is a list of saltwater mollusc species that form a part of the molluscan fauna of South Africa. This list does not include the land or freshwater molluscs. This is a sub-list of the list of marine gastropods of South Africa, which is in turn a sub-list of the list of marine molluscs of South Africa. Heterobranchia Architectonicidae *Variegated sundial shell '' Heliacus variegatus'' (Gmelin, 1791) (Eastern Cape to Mozambique)Branch, G.M. Griffiths, C.L. Branch, M.L. Beckley, L.E. ''Two Oceans: A guide to the marine life of southern Africa.'' 5th impression, David Philip, Cape Town, 2000. Siphonariidae - False limpets *'' Siphonaria annaea'' Tomlin, 1944 (Durban northwards) *Cape False limpet '' Siphonaria capensis'' Quoy and Gaimard (Namibia to northern KwaZulu-Natal) * '' Siphonaria compressa'' Allanson, 1958 *'' Siphonaria concinna'' Sowerby, 1824 (Cape Point to Zululand) *''Siphonaria nigerrima'' Smith, 1903 (Zul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Endemism
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, the Cape sugarbird is found exclusively in southwestern South Africa and is therefore said to be ''endemic'' to that particular part of the world. An endemic species can be also be referred to as an ''endemism'' or in scientific literature as an ''endemite''. For example '' Cytisus aeolicus'' is an endemite of the Italian flora. '' Adzharia renschi'' was once believed to be an endemite of the Caucasus, but it was later discovered to be a non-indigenous species from South America belonging to a different genus. The extreme opposite of an endemic species is one with a cosmopolitan distribution, having a global or widespread range. A rare alternative term for a species that is endemic is "precinctive", which applies to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Antiopella Longidentata
'' Antiopella longidentata'' (Gosliner, 1981), previously named ''Janolus longidentatus'', the medallion silvertip nudibranch, is a species of nudibranch, or sea slug. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Proctonotidae. Apart from striking differences in the egg ribbons, individuals of this species are externally not distinguishable from the Cape silvertip nudibranch ''Antiopella capensis''. Distribution This species is endemic to the South African coast and is found on both sides of the Cape Peninsula, from the intertidal border to at least 30 m. Description The medallion silvertip nudibranch grows up to 40mm in total length. It is a pale-bodied nudibranch with dark- to tan-coloured cerata with white tips. Its rhinophores are white and rolled. They are separated from one another by an opaque white spherical mass of unknown function called the rhinophoral crest. Ecology This species of nudibranch feeds on a bryozoan, the spiral moss animal, ''Menipea triseriata ''M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Medallion Silvertip Nudibranch
''Janolus longidentatus'', the medallion silvertip nudibranch, is a spectacular-looking species of nudibranch, or sea slug. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Proctonotidae. Apart from striking differences in the egg ribbons, individuals of this species are externally not distinguishable from the Cape silvertip nudibranch. Distribution This species is endemic to the South African __NOTOC__ South African may relate to: * The nation of South Africa * South African Airways * South African English * South African people * Languages of South Africa * Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the Afric ... coast and is found on both sides of the Cape Peninsula, from the intertidal border to at least 30 m. Description The medallion silvertip nudibranch grows up to 40mm in total length. It is a pale-bodied nudibranch with dark- to tan-coloured cerata with white tips. Its rhinophores are white and rolled. They are separated from one anothe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Family (biology)
Family ( la, familia, plural ') is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between order and genus. A family may be divided into subfamilies, which are intermediate ranks between the ranks of family and genus. The official family names are Latin in origin; however, popular names are often used: for example, walnut trees and hickory trees belong to the family Juglandaceae, but that family is commonly referred to as the "walnut family". What belongs to a family—or if a described family should be recognized at all—are proposed and determined by practicing taxonomists. There are no hard rules for describing or recognizing a family, but in plants, they can be characterized on the basis of both vegetative and reproductive features of plant species. Taxonomists often take different positions about descriptions, and there may be no broad consensus across the scientific community for some time. The publishing of new data and opini ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mollusc
Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is estimated between 60,000 and 100,000 additional species. The proportion of undescribed species is very high. Many taxa remain poorly studied. Molluscs are the largest marine phylum, comprising about 23% of all the named marine organisms. Numerous molluscs also live in freshwater and terrestrial habitats. They are highly diverse, not just in size and anatomical structure, but also in behaviour and habitat. The phylum is typically divided into 7 or 8 taxonomic classes, of which two are entirely extinct. Cephalopod molluscs, such as squid, cuttlefish, and octopuses, are among the most neurologically advanced of all invertebrates—and either the giant squid or the colossal squid is the largest known invertebrate species. The gastropods ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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