Home Guide to Opisthobranchs Nudibranchia Cladobranchia Aeolidioidea Facelina fusca

Facelina fusca

Facelina fusca Schmekel, 1966

Facelina fusca @ Portlligat (Cadaqués) 20080531 by Pontes, Miquel

Taxonomy
 

Superdomain

Biota  

 

Kingdom

Animalia  

 

Phylum

Mollusca  

 

Class

Gastropoda  

 

Subclass

Heterobranchia  

 

Infraclass

Euthyneura  

 

Subterclass

Ringipleura  

 

Superorder

Nudipleura  

 

Order

Nudibranchia  

 

Suborder

Cladobranchia  

 

Superfamily

Aeolidioidea  

 

Family

Facelinidae  

 

Genus

Facelina  

 

Species

Facelina fusca  Schmekel, 1966

 
 Classification according to Bouchet et al. (2017)
Taxonomic source: World Register of Marine Species (AphiaID: 139911).
Description
The maximum size registered for this species is 16 mm in length. The body is very slim, coloured semitransparent gray with several bands and blackish brown spots covering the oral tentacles, rhinophores, sides of the head, some areas of the back and the cerata, giving the animal a dark appearance referred to in the specific name. There are also small white spots of different sizes in oral tentacles, rhinophores, head, back and cerata. In the middle dorsal line of the body and crossing down to the tail there is usually a very apparent white band. There may also be violet bands, a dorsal one flanking the white line and two lateral lines below the base of the rhinophores. The oral tentacles are long and thin, almost twice the length of the rhinophores; they are almost entirely smooth dark brown, but in the base. The cerata are gathered into 5 well separated groups on each side of the body, they are somewhat fusiform and pointed; within them it is visible the brown digestive gland, slightly darker at the apex of each cerata. The foot develops, in its front side, two short triangular propodial palps.

Biology
So far there is very few biological data regarding this rare species. It has been cited as Sphaerococcus coronopifolius living among algae, and on the leaves of the phanerogam plant Posidonia oceanica that have hydrozoans epibionts. Schmekel (1966) mentions, however, that this species feeds on the hydrozoans of the genus Eudendrium, which generally live in shallow dimly lit rocky walls, and not on leaves of Posidonia (?). The spawn is laid in an spiral with orange eggs 180 microns in diameter. This species could be parasitized by copepods that lay their spawn on the back of the aeolidacean.

Etymology

  • fusca = refers to the dark coloured body, because of the brown and violet dark bands and spots that decorate it.

Distribution
So far this is a strictly Mediterranean species. It has been only cited in Naples and in the Catalan coast: Cadaqués, Aiguafreda (Begur) and Blanes.

Known georeferenced records of the species: Facelina fusca
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

Similar species
Facelina rubrovittata, smaller and with a brown dotted body, longitudinal orange lines on the back and sides, and rhinophores with 4-5 annular enlargements.

Abundance

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

This chart displays the monthly observation probability for Facelina fusca based on our own records.

More pictures

Facelina fusca
Facelina fusca @ Portlligat (Cadaqués) 20080531 by Miquel Pontes
Facelina fusca @ Caials 20120714 by Miquel Pontes
Facelina fusca @ Caials 20120714 by Miquel Pontes
Facelina fusca @ Caials 20120714 by Miquel Pontes
Facelina fusca @ Caials 20120714 by Miquel Pontes
Facelina fusca @ Caials 20120714 by Miquel Pontes
Facelina fusca @ Caials 20120714 by Miquel Pontes
Facelina fusca @ Caials 20120714 by Miquel Pontes
Facelina fusca @ Caials 20120714 by Miquel Pontes
Facelina fusca @ Croatia 30-01-2021 by Pero Ugarković

Bibliography

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    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) "Facelina fusca" in OPK-Opistobranquis. Published: 17/05/2012. Accessed: 23/09/2023. Available at (https://opistobranquis.info/en/?p=631)

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