Berthella Martensi (Pilsbry, 1896)
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''Berthella martensi'' is a
species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of
sea slug Sea slug is a common name for some Marine biology, marine invertebrates with varying levels of resemblance to terrestrial Slug, slugs. Most creatures known as sea slugs are gastropods, i.e. they are Sea snail, sea snails (marine gastropod moll ...
, a marine
gastropod Gastropods (), commonly known as slugs and snails, belong to a large Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, freshwater, and fro ...
mollusk Mollusca is a phylum of protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000  extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum after Arthropoda. The ...
in the
family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Pleurobranchidae The Pleurobranchidae are a Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic family (biology), family of sea slugs, marine (ocean), marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Pleurobranchomorpha. Characteristics Species in the family Pleurobranchidae have a promine ...
.


Description

This
species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
can grow up to a length of . The background coloration of the body varies a great deal, from light orange-brown to black or whitish to cream in color. The body is always marked with dark or clear spots, according to what is the dominant background color. The mantle, which covers the body, is composed of four distinct parts: dorsal, anterior, and two lateral pieces protecting the gills. These lateral pieces are on the right side of the body; they have the same coloration as the body, but are outlined in black. Three of its dorsal parts can be shed in case of danger, a form of
autotomy Autotomy (from the Greek ''auto-'', "self-" and ''tome'', "severing", αὐτοτομία) or 'self-amputation', is the behaviour whereby an animal sheds or discards an appendage, usually as a self-defense mechanism to elude a predator's grasp ...
. This
species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
has another means of defense by secreting a repellent acid fluid. The head has a pair of smooth and slightly folded
rhinophore A rhinophore is one of a pair of Chemoreceptor, chemosensory club-shaped, rod-shaped or ear-like structures which are the most prominent part of the external head anatomy in sea slugs, Marine (ocean), marine gastropod opisthobranch mollusks suc ...
s. A trapezoid veil masks partially the oral cavity. The egg ribbon is whitish. Image:Berthella martensi.jpg Image:32-EastTimor-Dive1 Bus-Stop 04 (Nudibranch-Berthella-Martensi)-APiazza.JPG Image:Berthella martensi, Indonesia.jpg Image:Berthella martensi 3.jpg


Distribution and habitat

This
species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
is widely distributed throughout the
tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...
waters of the Indo-West Pacific. It is usually found among rubble of dead coral in lagoons, or top of the external reef slopes, from the
intertidal zone The intertidal zone or foreshore is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide; in other words, it is the part of the littoral zone within the tidal range. This area can include several types of habitats with various ...
to 25 m depth.


Feeding

''Berthella martensi'' feeds on
sponge Sponges or sea sponges are primarily marine invertebrates of the animal phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), a basal clade and a sister taxon of the diploblasts. They are sessile filter feeders that are bound to the seabed, and a ...
s and
tunicate Tunicates are marine invertebrates belonging to the subphylum Tunicata ( ). This grouping is part of the Chordata, a phylum which includes all animals with dorsal nerve cords and notochords (including vertebrates). The subphylum was at one time ...
s.


Behaviour

This ''Berthella'' species is
nocturnal Nocturnality is a ethology, behavior in some non-human animals characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatur ...
.


References


External links


Sous les mers, Berthella martensi


Bibliography

*Coleman,''Marine life of the Maldives'', Atoll editions,2004, *Beesley, Ross & Wells, ''Mollusca-The southern synthesis, vol.5'', CSIRO, 1998, *Behrens,''Nudibranch behaviour'', New World Publication Inc, 2005, *Cobb & Willan,''Undersea jewels - a colour guide to nudibranchs'', Australian Biological Resources Study, 2006, {{Taxonbar, from=Q2899305 Pleurobranchidae Molluscs of the Indian Ocean Molluscs of the Pacific Ocean Gastropods described in 1896 Taxa named by Henry Augustus Pilsbry