Aglaja tricolorata

Aglaja tricolorata (Renier, 1804)

Aglaja tricolorata by Enric Madrenas

Taxonomy
 

Superdomain

Biota  

 

Kingdom

Animalia  

 

Phylum

Mollusca  

 

Class

Gastropoda  

 

Subclass

Heterobranchia  

 

Infraclass

Euthyneura  

 

Subterclass

Tectipleura  

 

Order

Cephalaspidea  

 

Superfamily

Philinoidea  

 

Family

Aglajidae  

 

Genus

Aglaja  

 

Species

Aglaja tricolorata  Renier, 1807

 
 Classification according to Bouchet et al. (2017)
Taxonomic source: World Register of Marine Species (AphiaID: 138728).
Synonyms

  • Acera marmorata Cantraine, 1841
  • Aglaja taila Marcus Ev. & Er., 1966
  • Doridium meckelii Delle Chiaje, 1824
  • Doridium membranaceum Meckel, 1809

Description
This cephalaspidean can achieve a significant size, up to 70 mm in length. The color of the animal is dark brown with rounded white spots distributed throughout the body. The head shield represents more than half the length of the body and in the anterior part can be differenced two sidelobes whose rear edge is white. The parapodia are broad, almost completely engulfing the head shield. There is a fragile and flattened inner shell. In the caudal area, the mantle has two lobes. From the left lobe protrudes a fine, dark and extensible filament that may reach 4-5 cm in length. The edge of the two caudal lobes and the margin of the caudal filament are usually pigmented white. The foot is very wide and in the anterior part two palps, slightly curved back, can be found. The trailing edge of the foot palps is also pigmented white. The color of the foot is very dark brown, almost black, and bright, with a soft iridescent bluish tint, the upper edge of the foot has white spots somewhat larger than the spots in the rest of the body.

Biology
A. tricolorata, as most species of the Aglajidae family, lives in soft substrates of mud or sand and calcareous concretions, between 20 and 45 m depth, where it is well adapted to burrow for food (polychaetes, nemerteans or molluscs). This species, which has no radula, is able to capture and fully engulf its prey with the help of the buccal bulb, which can be projected out. It is possible to find 2 specimens wandering in line with the head region of one attached to the back region of another, it may be a reproductive behavior during copula. The spawn of this species is significant and is formed by a gelatinous mass of elongated circular section amb about 8-10 cm in length, attached to the substrate by a thin cord; spawm structure is hollow and in its periphery has a cord where numerous coiled gelatinous ovigerous capsules, each containing about 4-5 white eggs with a diameter of 188 microns. Because of the underground habits of this species very little is known about its eating habits and other biology details.

Etymology

  • Aglaja, Greek word meaning “splendor” or “beautiful”
  • Tricolorata, from Latin, meaning “of three colours”.

Distribution
This is an eminently Mediterranean species, having been located in the Adriatic, Mediterranean France and Malta. In the Iberian Peninsula has been cited in Cabo de Palos (Murcia), in the Strait of Gibraltar and in the Atlantic coast of Huelva. In Catalonia it has been observed in Malgrat (Maresme) and in some other localities of the Costa Brava, such as Tamariu.

Known georeferenced records of the species: Aglaja tricolorata
Sources:
: OBIS
: GROC 2010-2011
: Enric Madrenas
: João Pedro Silva
: Bernard Picton
: GBIF.ORG
: OPK
: VIMAR
: Manuel Ballesteros.
: M@re Nostrum
: Altres fonts
: Marine Regions

Abundance

    Western Mediterranean: ★☆☆☆☆
    Eastern Mediterranean: ★☆☆☆☆
    Atlantic Ocean: ☆☆☆☆☆
Month

This chart displays the monthly observation probability for Aglaja tricolorata based on our own records.

Videos

 

More pictures

Bibliography

    Avila C. 1993. Sustancias naturales de moluscos opistobranquios: Estudio de su estructura, origen y función en ecosistemas bentónicos. Tesis Doctoral. Universitat de Barcelona. Universitat de Barcelona.
    Bacallado JJ, Ortea J, Moro L, et al. 2008. Inventario de los moluscos de la marina de Arrecife, Lanzarote. Canarias Conservación.:1–32. Available from https://www.canariasconservacion.org/LA%20MARINA/DOC-16-Inventario%20de%20los%20moluscos%20de%20la%20marina%20de%20arrecife%202008.pdf.
    Ballesteros M. 2007. Lista actualizada de los opistobranquios (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia) de las costas catalanas. Spira. 2(3):163–188.
    Ballesteros M, Madrenas E, Pontes M. 2016. Actualización del catálogo de los moluscos opistobranquios (Gastropoda: Heterobranchia) de las costas catalanas. Spira. 6:1–28.
    Ballesteros M, Madrenas E, Pontes M. 2023. OPK - Opistobranquis. Available from https://opistobranquis.info/.
    Bielecki S, Cavignaux G, Crouzet JM, et al. 2011. Des limaces de rêve.
    Camacho-García YE, Ornelas-Gatdula E, Gosliner TM, et al. 2014. Phylogeny of the family Aglajidae (Pilsbry, 1895) (Heterobranchia: Cephalaspidea) inferred from mtDNA and nDNA. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 71: 113–126.
    Cantraine FJ. 1841. Malacologie méditerranéenne et litorale, ou description des mollusques qui vivent dans la Méditerranée ou sur le continent de l’Italie, ainsi que des coquilles qui se trouvent dans les terrains tertiaires italiens, avec des observations sur leur anatomie, leurs moeurs, leur analogie et leur gisement. Ouvrage servant de faune malacologique italienne et de complément à la Conchiologia fossile subapennina de Brocchi. Nouveaux Mémoires de l’Académie Royale des Sciences et Belles-Lettres de Bruxelles, 13: 1-173, pl. 1-6.
    Cervera JL, Calado G, Gavaia C, et al. 2004. An annotated and updated checklist of the opisthobranchs (Mollusca: Gastropoda) from Spain and Portugal (including islands and archipelagos). Boletín Instituto Español de Oceanografía, 20 (1-4): 1-111. L.
    Delle Chiaje S. 1824. Memorie sulla storia e notomia degli animali senza vertebre del regno di Napoli 1:i-xii, 1-184.
    Domènech A, Ávila C, Ballesteros M. 2006. Opisthobranch molluscs from the subtidal trawling grounds off Blanes (Girona, north-east Spain). Journal of the Marine Biological Association of U.K. 86:383–389.
    Furfaro G, Vitale F, Licchelli C, et al. 2020. Two Seas for One Great Diversity: Checklist of the Marine Heterobranchia (Mollusca; Gastropoda) from the Salento Peninsula (South-East Italy). Diversity. 12(12):171.
    Lemche HM. 1974. Revised proposals on the validation of Aglaja Renier, 1807, Aglaja depicta Renier, 1807 and A tricolorata Renier, 1807 (Mollusca, Opisthobranchia); neotype selection for A. tricolorata. ZN(S) 1092. Bull Zool Nomencl. 31(4): 196-199.
    Lemche HM. 1971. Aglaja Renier, 1807, Aglaja depicta Renier, 1807, and A. tricolorata Renier, 1807 (Mollusca Opisthobranchia): proposed validation under the plenary powers, ZN(S) 1092. Bull Zool Nomencl. 29(pt.3): 127-130.
    Lobo da Cunha A, Pereira-Sousa J, Oliveira E, et al. 2014. Calcium detection and other cellular studies in the esophagus and crop of the marine slug Aglaja tricolorata (Euopisthobranchia, Cephalaspidea). Malacologia, 2014, 57(2): 365-376.
    Long SJ. 2006. Bibliography of Opisthobranchia 1554-2000. Bayside Books & Press, Tustin, CA, U.S.A. 672p.
    Malaquias MAE, Mackenzie-Dodds J, Bouchet P, et al. 2009. A molecular phylogeny of the Cephalaspidea sensu lato (Gastropoda: Euthyneura): Architectibranchia redefined and Runcinacea reinstated. Zoologica Scripta 38(1): 23-41. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1463-6409.2008.00354.x.
    Marín A, Ros J. 1987. Catálogo preliminar de los gasterópodos marinos del sudeste español. Iberus 7 (1): 137-145.
    Martínez E, Ballesteros M, Ávila C, et al. 1993. La familia Aglajidae (Opisthobranchia: Cephalaspidea) en la Península Ibérica. Iberus, 11: 15-29.
    Martínez-Chacón M. 2018. Nudibranquios de la isla de Tarifa, pequeñas joyas del estrecho de Gibraltar. Junta de Andalucía. Consejería de Medio Ambiente y Ordenación del Territorio. Available from http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/medioambiente/portal_web/servicios_generales/doc_tecnicos/2018/nudibranquios_tarifa/nudibranquios_tarifa_web.pdf.
    McDonald G. 2009. Bibliographia Nudibranchia. 2nd Online Edition, Annotated. 1072 pp  Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz. Available from http://escholarship.org/uc/item/8115h0wz.
    Meckel JF. 1809. Beyträge zur vergleichenden Anatomie. Heinrich Reclam, Leipzig , 1(2): 33.
    Moreno D, Templado J. 1998. Nuevas aportaciones al conocimiento de los opistobranquios del sureste español. II. Iberus 16 (2): 39-58.
    Moro L, Martín Esquivel JL, Garrido Sanahuja MJ, et al. 2003. Lista de especies marinas de Canarias (algas, hongos, plantas y animales). Consejería de Política Territorial y Medio Ambiente del Gobierno de Canarias. 248 p.
    Ocaña Martín A, Sánchez Tocino L, López González S, et al. 2000. Guía submarina de invertebrados no artrópodos. Granada: Comares.
    Ortea J, Moro L. 1998. Nuevos datos sobre la Familia Aglajidae Pilsbry, 1895 (Mollusca: Opisthobranchia: Cephalaspidea) en las Islas Canarias. Revista de la Academia Canaria de Ciencias 10 (4): 101-107.
    Ortea JA, Moro L, Bacallado JJ, et al. 2001. Catálogo actualizado de los Moluscos Opistobranquios de las Islas Canarias. Revista de la Academia Canaria de Ciencias. 12(3–4):105–136.
    Oskars TR, Bouchet P, Malaquias MAE. 2015. A new phylogeny of the Cephalaspidea (Gastropoda: Heterobranchia)based on expanded taxon sampling and gene markers. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 89 (2015) 130–150. Available from http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2015.04.011.
    Ozturk B, Dogan A, Bitlis-Bakir B, et al. 2014. Marine Molluscs of the Turkish Coasts: An Updated Checklist. Tübitak, Turkish Journal of Zoology 38. https://doi.org/10.3906/zoo-1405-78.
    Parera A, Pontes M, Salvador X, et al. 2020. Sea slugs (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Heterobranchia): the other inhabitants of the city of Barcelona (Spain). Butlletí de la Institució Catalana d’Història Natural, 84: 75-100.
    Pontes M, Salvador X, Parera A, et al. 2021. Biodiversity in anthropized marinas. The case of the Barcelona Forum bathing area (Spain). Barcelona: Institució Catalana d’Història Natural (Monografies de la Societat Catalana d’Història Natural). 68 p.
    Prkić J, Petani A, Iglić Ð, et al. 2018. Stražnjoškržnjaci Jadranskoga Mora: Slikovni Atlas i Popis Hrvatskih Vrsta / Opisthobranchs of the Adriatic Sea: Photographic Atlas and List of Croatian Species. Bibinje: Ronilaćki Klub Sveti Roko. 464 p. Available from https://opistobranquis.info/en/recursos/llibres-recomanats/opisthobranchs-of-the-adriatic-sea/.
    Renier SA. 1807. Tavole per servire alla classificazione e connoscenza degli Animali. Padova, Stabe fils.
    Rudman W.B. et al. 1998 2010. Aglaja tricolorata accessed through: Sea Slug Forum on 2014-12-14. Available from http://seaslugforum.net/showall/aglatric.
    Sánchez Tocino L. 2001. Aglaja tricolorata accessed through: Opistobranquios de la Costa de Granada on 2014-12-14. Available from http://www.ugr.es/~lstocino/aglaja_tricolorata.htm.
    Sánchez Tocino L, Ocaña A, García FJ. 2000. Contribución al conocimiento de los moluscos opistobranquios de la costa de Granada (sureste de la Península Ibérica). Iberus 18(1):1-14.
    Sánchez-Tocino L. 2018. El Litoral de Granada - Opistobranquios. El Litoral de Granada. Available from https://litoraldegranada.ugr.es/el-litoral/el-litoral-sumergido/fauna/moluscos/gasteropodos/opistobranquios/.
    Silva JP. 2008 2014. Aglaja tricolorata accessed through: Hypselodoris, Lesmas do Mar on 2014-12-21. Available from http://hypselodoris.blogspot.pt/2012/03/aglaja-tricolorata-renier-1807.html.
    Templado J, Villanueva R. 2010. Checklist of Phylum Mollusca. pp. 148-198 In Coll, M., et al., 2010. The biodiversity of the Mediterranean Sea: estimates, patterns, and threats. PLoS ONE 5(8):36pp.
    Trainito E, Doneddu M. 2014. Nudibranchi del Mediterraneo. 2nd. Il Castello. 192 p.
    Trainito E, Trainito S. 2003. Mediterranean harlequins : a field guide to Mediterranean sea slugs. Olbia (SS), Italia: Taphros.
    Wirtz P, Debelius H. 2003. Mediterranean and Atlantic invertebrate guide. Hackenheim, Germany: ConchBooks.
    WoRMS Editorial Board. 2023. World Register of Marine Species. WoRMS. Available from http://www.marinespecies.org.

    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.

Further reading

Cite this article as:

Ballesteros, M., Madrenas, E. & Pontes, M. (2023) "Aglaja tricolorata" in OPK-Opistobranquis. Published: 20/05/2012. Accessed: 29/03/2024. Available at (https://opistobranquis.info/en/?p=736)

To copy this cite click on the right button.