The Pleurobranchidae are a taxonomic

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 to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

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 tim ...

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 est ...

s in the

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English ter ...

Pleurobranchomorpha.

Characteristics

Species in the family Pleurobranchidae have a prominent

mantle A mantle is a piece of clothing, a type of cloak. Several other meanings are derived from that. Mantle may refer to: *Mantle (clothing), a cloak-like garment worn mainly by women as fashionable outerwear **Mantle (vesture), an Eastern Orthodox ve ...

and an internal shell that becomes reduced or is lost completely in adults. Some adult species have been seen feeding on

ascidian Ascidiacea, commonly known as the ascidians, tunicates (in part), and sea squirts (in part), is a polyphyletic class in the subphylum Tunicata of sac-like marine invertebrate filter feeders. Ascidians are characterized by a tough outer "tunic" m ...

Larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...

l pleurobranchids can be planktotrophic (feeding on

plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms found in water (or air) that are unable to propel themselves against a current (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are called plankters. In the ocean, they provide a cruc ...

), lecithotrophic (deriving nutrition from

yolk Among animals which produce eggs, the yolk (; also known as the vitellus) is the nutrient-bearing portion of the egg whose primary function is to supply food for the development of the embryo. Some types of egg contain no yolk, for example ...

), or direct developing. Like all Pleurobranchomorpha, they breathe through an external gill, located on the right side (contrary to

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 match, ...

s who have it on the back), just after the genital organ. Many species produce secretions from their rich glandular mantle as a chemical defense against predators. Even the production of

sulfuric acid Sulfuric acid (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphuric acid ( Commonwealth spelling), known in antiquity as oil of vitriol, is a mineral acid composed of the elements sulfur, oxygen and hydrogen, with the molecular fo ...

has been reported.

Taxonomy

Until 2005, this family was placed in the suborder Notaspidea. However, in the taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi (2005), the family Pleurobranchidae was placed in the superfamily Pleurobranchoidea, the only family belonging to the subclade Pleurobranchomorpha (sister to the subclade Nudibranchia), part of the clade

Nudipleura Nudipleura are a clade of sea snails and sea slugs, marine gastropod mollusks within the large clade Heterobranchia. Taxonomy 2005 taxonomy In the taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi (2005), the clade Nudipleura is arranged as follows: *Clade Nud ...

Subfamily Pleurobranchinae

*'' Bathyberthella'' **'' Bathyberthella antarctica'' Willan and Bertsch, 1987 *'' Berthella'' de Blainville, 1824 **'' Berthella africana'' Pruvot-Fol, 1953 **'' Berthella agassizi'' MacFarland, 1909 **'' Berthella americana'' A. E. Verrill, 1885 **'' Berthella aurantiaca'' Risso, 1818 **'' Berthella caledonica'' Dall, 1900 **'' Berthella californica'' Dall, 1900 California sidegill slug **'' Berthella canariensis'' Cervera, J.L., T.M. Gosliner, J.C. García-Gómez & J. Ortea, 2000 **'' Berthella elongata'' Cantraine, 1835 **'' Berthella martensi'' Pilsbry, 1896 **'' Berthella medietas'' R. Burn, 1962 **'' Berthella ocellata'' delle Chiaje, 1830 **'' Berthella ornata'' T.F. Cheeseman, 1878 **'' Berthella patagonica''

d'Orbigny Alcide Charles Victor Marie Dessalines d'Orbigny (6 September 1802 – 30 June 1857) was a French naturalist who made major contributions in many areas, including zoology (including malacology), palaeontology, geology, archaeology and anthr ...

, 1837 **'' Berthella platei'' Bergh, 1898 **'' Berthella plumula'' Montagu, 1803 **'' Berthella sideralis'' Lovén, 1846 **'' Berthella stellata'' Risso, 1826 **'' Berthella strongi'' MacFarland, 1966 **'' Berthella tamiu'' Ev. Marcus, 1984 **'' Berthella tupala'' Er. Marcus, 1957 *'' Berthellina'' Gardiner, 1936 **'' Berthellina amarillus'' Mattox, 1953 **'' Berthellina americanus'' Verrill, 1885 **'' Berthellina circularis'' Mörch, 1863 **'' Berthellina citrina'' Rüppell & Leuckart, 1828 (synonym of ''Gymnotoplax citrina'' Er. Marcus, 1957 ) **'' Berthellina delicata'' W.H. Pease, 1861 **'' Berthellina edwardsii'' Vayssière, 1897 **'' Berthellina engeli'' Gardiner, 1936 **'' Berthellina granulata'' (Krauss, 1848) **'' Berthellina ilisima'' Marcus, Er. & Ev. Marcus, 1967 **'' Berthellina quadridens'' Mörch, 1863 (junior synonym of ''Gymnotoplax quadridens'') Mörch, 1863. Contributions à la faune malacologique des Antilles danoises Journal de Conchyliologie 11 21-43. * '' Boreoberthella'' Martynov & Schrödl, 2009 *'' Bouvieria'' Vayssière, 1896 : synonym of ''Berthella'' Blainville, 1824 **'' Bouvieria auriantiaca'' Risso, 1813 **'' Bouvieria ocellata'' S. delle Chiaje, 1828 **'' Bouvieria perforata''

Philippi Philippi (; grc-gre, Φίλιπποι, ''Philippoi'') was a major Greek city northwest of the nearby island, Thasos. Its original name was Crenides ( grc-gre, Κρηνῖδες, ''Krenides'' "Fountains") after its establishment by Thasian colo ...

, 1844 *'' Pleurehdera'' Ev. Marcus & Er. Marcus, 1970 **'' Pleurehdera haraldi'' Ev. Marcus & Er. Marcus, 1970 *'' Pleurobranchus''

Cuvier Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric, Baron Cuvier (; 23 August 1769 – 13 May 1832), known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist, sometimes referred to as the "founding father of paleontology". Cuvier was a major figure in nat ...

, 1805 *'' Tomthompsonia'' **'' Tomthompsonia antarctica'' Thiele, 1912 Image:Berthella ornata.JPG, '' Berthella ornata'' Image:Lemon pleurobranch DSC02038.JPG, '' Berthellina granulata'' Image:Pleurobranchus albiguttatus.jpg, '' Pleurobranchus albiguttatus''

References

External links

*
Richard C. Willan, Description of a New Pleurobranch (Opisthobranchia, Notaspidea) from Antarctic with a review of Notaspideans from South Polar Seas; The Veliger 29 (3), 1987 p. 292-302
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3167714 Taxa named by John Edward Gray