''Pleurobranchaea tarda'', the dwarf warty pleurobranch, 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)
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* Marine biology
* Marine debris
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* 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 ...
in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Pleurobranchaeidae
The Pleurobranchaeidae are a taxonomic family of sea slugs, marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Pleurobranchomorpha
The Pleurobranchidae are a taxonomic family of sea slugs, marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Pleurobranchomorpha.
C ...
.
[Rosenberg, G. (2015). Pleurobranchaea tarda. In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=160478 on 2015-10-20]
Distribution
This species is found on the Atlantic coast of North America and West Africa, as well as off the
South African __NOTOC__
South African may relate to:
* The nation of South Africa
* South African Airways
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* Southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the Afric ...
coast, from the Atlantic coast of the
Cape Peninsula
The Cape Peninsula ( af, Kaapse Skiereiland) is a generally mountainous peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean at the south-western extremity of the African continent. At the southern end of the peninsula are Cape Point and the Cape of ...
to
Knysna
Knysna () is a town with 76,150 inhabitants (2019 mid-year estimates) in the Western Cape province of South Africa. and is one of the destinations on the loosely defined Garden Route tourist route. It lies at 34° 2' 6.3168'' S and 23° 2' 47. ...
intertidally to 60 m.
Description
''Pleurobranchaea tarda'' has an oval sandy-coloured body with a spade-shaped head and two widely separated rolled
rhinophores. It has a single gill on the right hand side of its body and can grow to be 70 mm long. It may be confused with ''
Pleurobranchaea bubala
''Pleurobranchaea bubala'', the warty pleurobranch, is a species of sea slug, specifically a sidegill slug or notaspidean. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Pleurobranchaeidae.
Distribution
This species is endemic to the South Afric ...
'', which is bigger and has a rougher surface, but tends to live in shallower water.
Ecology
It is an enthusiastic predator on other
opisthobranchs; and has even been seen eating smaller individuals of the same species. Its egg ribbon forms a sizeable roll of several white loops.
[Gosliner, T. M. 1987. ''Nudibranchs of Southern Africa'' ]
References
* Abbott R. T. (1974) ''American seashells. The marine mollusca of the Atlantic and Pacific coast of North America''. ed. 2. Van Nostrand, New York. 663 pp., 24 pls
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3142510
Pleurobranchaeidae