Aeolidioidea

The aeolidaceans differ from other nudibranchs by their sleek body and the presence of groups of papillae, called cerata, on the back and sides of the body. Aeolidaceans are usually colorful, specially on the dorsal papillae. The head has, on the front, the oral tentacles, long and thin, and the rhinophores on the top, which can be smooth or have lamellae or warts.

Nemesignis banyulensis by Enric Madrenas

The digestive gland is highly branched and its branches, in the form of hollow conduit, enter inside of each cerata. In many species, the end of the digestive gland on each cerata expands, forming a spherical small bag called cnidosac that is communicated with the outside through a pore, the cnidopore, located on the tip of the cerata. They breath through the skin (cutaneous respiration) because they lack gills, so they use the cerata for gas exchange. Radula is narrow, with a row of teeth (monoseriate radula) or 3 teeth in each row (triseriate radula); generally a pair of chitinous jaws are found in the anterior part of the buccal bulb. Genital and anal orifices are located to the right of the body. The foot may differentiate, in its anterior zone, a pair of propodial palps, shaped short and triangular. Aeolidaceans prey mainly on Cnidarians: polyps of hydrozoans, jellyfish and anemones. This specialization provides these nudibranchs food as well as a defense mechanism of great biological interest because they are able to use for self-defense the stinging capsules (or cnidocysts) from their prey. For still unknown reasons, these cnidocysts are not triggered nor digested by the digestive juices of nudibranch, so they pass through the ramifications of the digestive gland until they reach the cnidosacs on the tip of the cerata, where they are stored. These cnidocysts can be expelled to the outside by contact with the potential predator, they are triggered and perform their defensive action. Some species have specialized in feeding on fish eggs, cirriped crustaceans or even other species of nudibranchs. The aeolidaceans are usually found on hydroid colonies, often the same species that serves them as food, and tend to lay their spawn there as well, usually in the form of a ribbon wrapped in various ways. At other times they can be found below stones, near anemones, even at very shallow depths, or can be found wandering on the rock walls abundant with algae and invertebrates.

Classification

The taxonomy of Aeolidaceans proposed by Bouchet et al. (2017) and accepted by WoRMS is:

Aeolidioidea J. E. Gray, 1827

• Aeolidiidae J. E. Gray, 1827
  • Aeolidia Cuvier, 1798
  • Aeolidiella Bergh, 1867
  • Aeolidiopsis Pruvot-Fol, 1956
  • Anteaeolidiella M. C. Miller, 2001
  • Baeolidia Bergh, 1888
  • Berghia Trinchese, 1877
  • Bulbaeolidia Carmona, Pola, Gosliner & Cervera, 2013
  • Cerberilla Bergh, 1873
  • Limenandra Haefelfinger & Stamm, 1958
  • Spurilla Bergh, 1864
  • Zeusia Korshunova, Zimina & Martynov, 2017
• Babakinidae Roller, 1973
  • Babakina Roller, 1973
• Facelinidae Bergh, 1889
  • Adfacelina Millen & Hermosillo, 2012
  • Algarvia García-Gómez & Cervera, 1990
  • Amanda Macnae, 1954
  • Anetarca Gosliner, 1991
  • Antonietta Schmekel, 1966
  • Austraeolis Burn, 1962
  • Bajaeolis Gosliner & Behrens, 1986
  • Burnaia M. C. Miller, 2001
  • Caloria Trinchese, 1888
  • Cratena Bergh, 1864
  • Crateninae Bergh, 1889
  • Dicata Schmekel, 1967
  • Echinopsole Macnae, 1954
  • Emarcusia Roller, 1972
  • Facelina Alder & Hancock, 1855
  • Facelininae Bergh, 1889
  • Facelinopsis Pruvot-Fol, 1954
  • Favorininae Bergh, 1889
  • Favorinus J. E. Gray, 1850
  • Hermosita Gosliner & Behrens, 1986
  • Herviella Baba, 1949
  • Herviellinae Burn, 1967
  • Janssonius Ortea & Moro, 2022
  • Jason M. C. Miller, 1974
  • Learchis Bergh, 1896
  • Moridilla Bergh, 1888
  • Myja Bergh, 1896
  • Noumeaella Risbec, 1937
  • Palisa Edmunds, 1964
  • Pauleo Millen & Hamann, 1992
  • Phidiana Gray, 1850
  • Pruvotfolia J. Tardy, 1970
  • Pteraeolidiinae Risbec, 1953
    • Pteraeolidia Bergh, 1875
  • Sakuraeolis Baba, 1965
  • Setoeolis Baba, 1965
• Flabellinidae Bergh, 1889
  • Calmella Eliot, 1906
  • Carronella Korshunova, Martynov, Bakken, Evertsen, Fletcher, Mudianta, H. Saito, Lundin, Schrödl & Picton, 2017
  • Coryphellina O’Donoghue, 1929
  • Edmundsella Korshunova, Martynov, Bakken, Evertsen, Fletcher, Mudianta, H. Saito, Lundin, Schrödl & Picton, 2017
  • Flabellina McMurtrie, 1831
  • Paraflabellina Korshunova, Martynov, Bakken, Evertsen, Fletcher, Mudianta, H. Saito, Lundin, Schrödl & Picton, 2017
• Flabellinopsidae Korshunova, Martynov, Bakken, Evertsen, Fletcher, Mudianta, H. Saito, Lundin, Schrödl & Picton, 2017
  • Baenopsis Korshunova, Martynov, Bakken, Evertsen, Fletcher, Mudianta, H. Saito, Lundin, Schrödl & Picton, 2017
  • Flabellinopsis MacFarland, 1966
• Glaucidae Gray, 1827
  • Glaucilla Bergh, 1861
  • Glaucus Forster, 1777
• Hantazuidae Korshunova, Fletcher & Martynov, 2025
  • Hantazuia Korshunova, Fletcher & Martynov, 2025
• Myrrhinidae Bergh, 1905
  • Dondice Er. Marcus, 1958
  • Godiva Macnae, 1954
  • Hermissenda Bergh, 1879
  • Nanuca Er. Marcus, 1957
  • Nemesignis Furfaro & Mariottini, 2021
  • Phyllodesmium Ehrenberg, 1831
• Piseinotecidae Edmunds, 1970
  • Piseinotecus Er. Marcus, 1955
• Pleurolidiidae Burn, 1966
  • Pleurolidia Burn, 1966
  • Protaeolidiella Baba, 1955

Aeolidacean species recorded in the Mediterranean Sea or around the Iberian Peninsula:

Aeolidia papillosa

Aeolidia filomenae

Aeolidiella alderi

Aeolidiella glauca

Aeolidiella sanguinea

Anteaeolidiella indica

Anteaeolidiella lurana

Babakina anadoni

Baenopsis baetica

Baeolidia moebii

Berghia coerulescens

Berghia columbina

Berghia creutzbergi

Berghia marinae

Berghia verrucicornis

Cerberilla bernadettae

Dondice occidentalis

Dondice trainitoi

Facelinidae

Flabellinidae

Glaucus atlanticus

Godiva quadricolor

Limenandra nodosa

Nemesignis banyulensis

Piseinotecus soussi

Piseinotecus sphaeriferus

Spurilla neapolitana

Bibliography

1246567 Aeolidioidea 1 eunomia-revista-en-cultura-de-la-legalidad 50 creator asc 1 456 https://opistobranquis.info/wp-content/plugins/zotpress/
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Bouchet, P., Rocroi, J. P., Hausdorf, B., Kaim, A., Kano, Y., Nützel, A., Parkhaev, P. et al. (2017). Revised classification, nomenclator and typification of gastropod and monoplacophoran families. Malacologia, 61(1-2), 1-526.
Bibliography based on the works by Steve Long, 2006. Bibliography of Opisthobranchia 1554-2000 and Gary McDonald, 2009. Bibliographia Nudibranchia, with later updates from other resources.