Biology – OPK Opistobranquis

Articles Archive by category "Biology"

“Resurrecting” species: the case of the sea slug Dendrodoris temarana

Dendrodoris temarana by Manuel Ballesteros

by Manuel Ballesteros Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain, mballesteros@ub.edu A scientific article (Galià-Camps et al., 2022) has been recently published in which the validity of a “forgotten” sea slug species (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Nudibranchia) was reinstated, as it had been considered a synonymous of other Mediterranean species. Here I tell the story of Dendrodoris temarana Pruvot-Fol, 1953 in the scientific literature and also “my story” with it, with numerous personal experiences…

How to distinguish Trinchesia with blue and yellow cerata

Those who dive in winter in the waters of the Mediterranean and Eastern Atlantic Ocean have the opportunity to observe certain white nudibranchs that have cerata with a blue subapical band and a yellow apical band. It was initially thought that they were different phases of the same species, Trinchesia caerulea, quite common in the Western Mediterranean and near Atlantic, but since the paper published by Korshunova et al. (2019)…

New guide on the sea slugs from Thau lagoon (France)

Doris verrucosa @ Basin de Thau, France 30.05.2020 by Pascal Girard

A commented and illustrated guide has just been published containing all the sea slugs species inventoried in the Thau lagoon (Hérault, France) from 2008 to the present. This work, with almost 200 pages, presents the main diving spots in the area, as well as the 63 observed species, illustrated with high-quality photos and commented with very interesting observations on the biology and some phenotypic data of each species. …

New molecular techniques for taxonomic determination in Heterobranchia

The use of molecular techniques to investigate the evolutionary history of animal groups and define monophyletic lineages has expanded exponentially in recent decades, becoming one of the essential steps to achieve a good integrative taxonomy.

Articles

Flabellinidae, a family of nudibranchs in controversy

Several articles have been published during year 2017 that show a series of conclusions that affect the phylogenies of different nudibranch families. Among these articles there are two that significantly affect the Flabellinidae family. Here we compare the results of both and draw our own conclusions.

Curiosities about nudibranchs

Did you know…? The word “nudibranch” means “naked gills”. Derives from the Latin “nudus” (naked) and the Greek “brankhia” (gills). It refers to the small flower shaped protuberances that can be seen on the back of many of these animals. There are more than 3,000 species of nudibranchs. They live from the surface to depths of 2,500 meters. They are found in all seas, from the tropics to the…

How to differentiate the pink “flabellina”

Any diver with a certain experience searching for opisthobranchs in the Mediterranean Sea or NE Atlantic could tell you that, sometimes, it is pretty difficult to tell apart which species of pink “flabellina” you are looking at. It’s not really that difficult, as long as you know what to look at in order to differentiate them. Here we include the main traits of the most common species: Flabellina affinis has the following characteristics:…

How to distinguish the blue Felimare

Any diver with a certain experience searching for opisthobranchs in the Mediterranean or Eastern Atlantic could tell you that, sometimes, it is pretty difficult to tell apart which species of blue Felimare nudibranch you are looking at. The new genus Felimare recently replaced the classic denomination Hypselodoris that is found in most printed books. Felimare opisthobranchs of the Mediterranean and Atlantic Ocean were revised by Ortea et al in 1996. Still…

Tylodina perversa, a sheep disguised as a wolf

Tylodina perversa @ Islas Canarias by Aketza Herrero

Tylodina perversa is an opisthobranch species quite common in the Costa Brava (NE Spain), especially on sponges Aplysina (Verongia) aerophoba that are found in very shallow water. Although it has been always considered carnivorous -it is always found feeding on the same type of sponges-, a more detailed study put this fact in jeopardy. Every indication shows that the opisthobranch consistently prefers the sponges with a greater ammount of cyanophyte…

Category: Biology