''Luisella babai'' is a
species of
sea slug, an aeolid
nudibranch, a
marine
Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean.
Marine or marines may refer to:
Ocean
* Maritime (disambiguation)
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* Marine biology
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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 ...
in the family
Samlidae.
Etymology
The specific epithet ''babai'' honors the Japanese malacologist
Kikutaro Baba.
[DORIS - Données d'Observations pour la Reconnaissance et l'Identification de la faune et la flore Subaquatiques]
Distribution
This species was described from the
Mediterranean Sea where it is a fairly common species. It is also present in the
Adriatic Sea and it has also been reported from the Atlantic coasts of
Spain,
Portugal and
Senegal. It inhabits rocky bottoms at depths of 5 to 50 m.
[
]
Description
''Luisella babai'' can reach a length of about .[ Body is usually white to light blue, elongated and translucent with a white edge and a long sharp pointed tail.][ Cerata are arranged in groups of 3-9. They show the same body color with yellow-orange rings on the terminal parts. The two long tentacles in their anterior part have the same color of the body. Also the two rhinophores in their upper part shows the same color of the body, with a yellow terminal part. Digestive system and liver are visible in transparency.][T.M. Gosliner, R.C. Willia]
Review of the Flabellinidae from the Tropical Indo-Pacific
The Veliger Vol. 34 - California Malacozoological Society - Northern California Malacozoological Club
This species is rather similar to ''Samla bicolor
''Samla bicolor'' is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch, a marine heterobranch mollusc in the family Samlidae.Rosenberg, G. (2015)''Flabellina bicolor'' (Kelaart, 1858).In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Mari ...
'' (Kelaart, 1858), but ''S. bicolor'' can be found only in the Indo-Pacific.[
]
Biology
Hermaphrodite
In reproductive biology, a hermaphrodite () is an organism that has both kinds of reproductive organs and can produce both gametes associated with male and female sexes.
Many Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic groups of animals (mostly invertebrate ...
, like all nudibranchs, it deposits on the branches of the hydrozoans a white gelatinous spiral cord composed of thousands of eggs from which five to eight days later veliger larvae hatch. These nudibranchs feed on hydroids , manly ''Campanularia
''Campanularia'' is a genus of hydrozoans, in the family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is t ...
'', '' Bougainvillia'' and '' Eudendrium'' species.[
]
Gallery
File: Flabellina babai Schmekel, 1972 - ponte.jpg, ''L. babai'' spawn
File:Flabellinidae - Flabellina babai.jpg, ''L. babai'' in the Ligurian Sea ( Levanto)
File:Flabellina babai Schmekel, 1972 - cnidocystes ≈ 10 μm dans un cnidosac.jpg, Cnidocysts
Bibliography
* Gary R. McDonald, University of California Santa Cru
Nudibranch Systematic Index
University of California Santa Cruz (PDF), in Institute of Marine Sciences (2006).
* Egidio Trainito, Nudibranchi del Mediterraneo. Guida al riconoscimento dei molluschi opistobranchi, 2005ª ed., Milano, Il Castello, 2005, .
References
External links
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5456528
Samlidae
Gastropods described in 1972
Molluscs of the Mediterranean Sea
Fauna of the Adriatic Sea