''Gascoignella aprica'' is a
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 ...
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 ...
, a
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 ...
mollusk
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 e ...
. It was first described in 1985 by Kathe Jensen from Tsim Bei Tsui,
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
.
[Gascoignella aprica Jensen, 1985]
The Sea Slug Forum. Retrieved 2012-01-22.
Description
''Gascoignella aprica'' grows to a length of about . It has no
rhinophore
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 har ...
s,
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 ...
or
parapodia
In invertebrates, the term parapodium ( Gr. ''para'', beyond or beside + ''podia'', feet; plural: parapodia) refers to lateral outgrowths or protrusions from the body. Parapodia are predominantly found in annelids, where they are paired, unjointed ...
which distinguishes it from other similar species. The dorsal surface is black, the head deep grey with the eyes surrounded by transparent yellowish areas. The sole of the foot is yellowish-white and the visceral mass is greenish because of the vegetable matter it contains. The head and foot are distinctly separated from the visceral mass.
[
]
Habitat
''Gascoignella aprica'' was found grazing on matted green algae ''Chaetomorpha
''Chaetomorpha'' is a genus of green algae in the family Cladophoraceae.Guiry, M. D. (2004)''Chaetomorpha''.''In:'' Guiry, M. D. & Guiry, G. M. (2017). AlgaeBase. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 9 August 2017. Members of thi ...
sp.'' in the intertidal zone. The sea slugs were resistant to desiccation on the wet algae but soon dried up when exposed to the sun in the open.[
]
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5526392
Platyhedylidae
Gastropods described in 1985