Berlanguella
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''Berlanguella'' is a
genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of
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 t ...
s, specifically dorid
nudibranch 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 matc ...
s, shell-less
marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...
gastropod The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. T ...
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 esti ...
s in the family
Chromodorididae Chromodorididae, or chromodorids, are a taxonomic family of colourful, sea slugs; dorid nudibranchs, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Doridoidea. “Chromodorid nudibranchs are among the most gorgeously coloured of all animals.” ...
.Bouchet, P. (2011)
''Berlanguella'' Ortea, Bacallado & Valdés, 1992, accessed through World Register of Marine Species on 2012-02-25
/ref> It is a monotypic genus and ''Berlanguella scopae'' is the only
species 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 s ...
in the genus.Bouchet, P. (2011)
''Berlanguella scopae'' Ortea, Bacallado & Valdés, 1992.
Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2012-02-26.


Distribution

This species was described from Caleta James,
Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...
, in the
Galápagos Islands The Galápagos Islands (Spanish: , , ) are an archipelago of volcanic islands. They are distributed on each side of the equator in the Pacific Ocean, surrounding the centre of the Western Hemisphere, and are part of the Republic of Ecuador ...
. It was found at four other sites on different islands in the group, Isabela, Fernandina,
Puerto Ayora Puerto Ayora is a town in central Galápagos, Ecuador. Located on the southern shore of Santa Cruz Island, it is the seat of Santa Cruz Canton. The town is named in honor of Isidro Ayora, an Ecuadorian president. The town is sometimes mistaken ...
on Isla Santa Cruz and Espanola.Ortea, J., Bacallado, J.J. & Valdés, Á. (1992) Nº1 Chromodorididae (Mollusca: Nudibranchia). Resultados Científicos del Proyecto Galápagos, Patrimonio de la Humanidad, TFMC 1: 31-71. page(s): 34


Description

''Berlanguella scopae'' is similar in appearance to species of ''
Doriopsis ''Doriopsis'' is a genus of sea slugs, specifically dorid nudibranchs. These animals are marine gastropod molluscs in the family Dorididae Sea lemon is a loosely applied common name for a group of medium-sized to large shell-less colorful sea ...
'' with low rounded tubercles on the mantle and the gills arranged in a flat horseshoe-shape. It is translucent white or cream with yellow or orange tubercles.


Ecology

This nudibranch was collected at a number of sites on a cream coloured sponge in the intertidal zone.


References

Chromodorididae Gastropods described in 1992 Monotypic gastropod genera {{chromodorididae-stub