Facelina fusca Schmekel, 1966
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). | ||
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.
| 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: | |
More pictures
Bibliography
Ballesteros, M. 2007. Lista actualizada de los opistobranquios (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia) de las costas catalanas. Spira. 2: 163–188.
Ballesteros, M. 1980. Contribución al conocimientos de los Sacoglosos y Nudibranquios (Mollusca: Opisthobranchia). Estudio anatómico, sistemático y faunístico de las especies del mediterráneo español. Tesis Doctoral.
Ballesteros, M., J. Ortea, E. Martínez, and D. Vallvé. 1993. Dos nuevas especies de Facelina Alder and Hancock, 1855 (Mollusca: Opisthobranchia) para la Península Ibérica. Publicaciones Especiales. Instituto Español de Oceanografía 11: 123-129.
Ballesteros, M., M. Pontes, and E. Madrenas. 2019. Els nudibranquis del mar català. Brau, Figueres.
Ballesteros, M., E. Madrenas, and M. Pontes. 2016. Actualización del catálogo de los moluscos opistobranquios (Gastropoda: Heterobranchia) de las costas catalanas. Spira 6(2016): 1-28.
Ballesteros, M., E. Madrenas, and M. Pontes. 2012. OPK - Opistobranquis. (https://opistobranquis.info/).
Bedulli, D., R. Cattaneo-Vietti, R. Chemello, F. Ghisotti, and F. Giovine. 1995. Gastropoda Opisthobranchia, Divasibranchia, Gymnomorpha, Fascicolo 15, pp. 1-23. In: A. Minelli, A. Ruffo, & S. La Posta (Eds.). Checklist delle specie fauna italiana, Checklist delle specie della Fauna Italiana. Calderini, Bologna.
Cattaneo-Vietti, R., and R. Chemello. 1987. Alcune considerazioni sui molluschi opistobranchi della Sicilia. Bollettino Malacologico (Pubblicazione Mensile Edita dalla Societa Italiana di Malacologia) 23(5-8):207-222.
Cattaneo-Vietti, R., and T. E. Thompson. 1989. Mediterranean opisthobranch molluscs: a zoogeographic approach. Bollettino Malacologico (Pubblicazione Mensile Edita dalla Societa Italiana di Malacologia) 25(5-8):183-204.
Cattaneo-Vietti, R., R. Chemello, and R. Giannuzzi-Savelli. 1990. Atlante dei nudibranchi del Mediterraneo. La Conchiglia, Rome 264 pp, 14 pls. (104 clr. ill), line drawings.
Cervera, J. L., J. Templado, J. C. García-Gómez, M. Ballesteros, J. Ortea, F. J. García, J. Ros, and A. A. Luque. 1988. Catálogo actualizado y comentado de los Opistobranquios (Mollusca, Gastropoda) de la Península Ibérica, Baleares y Canarias, con algunas referencias a Ceuta y la isla de Alborán. Iberus, supl. 1: 1-84.
Cervera, J. L., G. Calado, C. Gavaia, M. A. E. Malaquías, J. Templado, M. Ballesteros, J. C. García-Gómez, and C. Megina. 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.
Debelius, H., and R. H. Kuiter. 2007. Nudibranchs of the world. IKAN- Unterwasserarchiv, Frankfurt.
Doneddu, M., B. Manunza, and E. Trainito. 1995. Opistobranchi del Nord Sardegna: censimento ed annotazioni. Biologia Marina Mediterranea II (2): 369-370.
Edmunds, M. 1991. Does warning coloration occur in nudibranchs. Malacologia 32(2):241-255.
Flanders Marine Institute. 2018. Maritime Boundaries Geodatabase: Territorial Seas. Maritime Boundaries Geodatabase. (http://www.marineregions.org/).
Garcia, F. J., and H. Bertsch. 2009. Diversity and distribution of the Gastropoda Opisthobranchia from the Atlantic Ocean: A global biogeographic approach. Scientia Marina. 73: 153–160.
Long, S. J. 2006. Bibliography of Opisthobranchia 1554-2000. Bayside Books & Press, Tustin, CA, U.S.A. 672p.
McDonald, G. 2009. Bibliographia Nudibranchia. 2nd Online Edition, Annotated. 1072 pp Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz. (http://escholarship.org/uc/item/8115h0wz).
Ozturk, B., A. Dogan, B. Bitlis-Bakir, and A. Salman. 2014. Marine Molluscs of the Turkish Coasts: An Updated Checklist. Tübitak, Turkish Journal of Zoology 38.
Picton, B. E. 1979. Caloria elegans, (Alder & Hancock) comb. nov Gastropoda, Opisthobranchia, an interesting rediscovery from S W. England. J. Molluscan Stud. 45(1):125-130.
Prkić, J., A. Petani, Ð. Iglić, and L. Lanča. 2018. Stražnjoškržnjaci Jadranskoga Mora: Slikovni Atlas i Popis Hrvatskih Vrsta / Opisthobranchs of the Adriatic Sea: Photographic Atlas and List of Croatian Species. Ronilaćki Klub Sveti Roko, Bibinje.
Ros, J. 1975. Opistobranquios (Gastropoda: euthyneura) del litoral ibérico. Investigacion Pesquera. 39: 269–372.
Ros, J. D. 1976. Catálogo provisional de los opistobranquios (Gastropoda: Euthyneura) de las costas ibéricas. Miscelánea Zoologica, 3(5):21-51.
Ros, J. 1973. Opistobranquios (Gastropoda: Euthyneura) del litoral ibérico : Estudio faunístico y ecológico. Tesi doctoral. Universitat de Barcelona.
Ros, J. 1981. Desarrollo y estrategias binómicas en los opistobranquios. Oecologia aquatica 5: 147-183.
Rudman W.B. et al. 1998. Facelina fusca accessed through: Sea Slug Forum on 2014-12-14. (http://seaslugforum.net/showall/facefusc).
Sabelli, B., R. Gianuzzi-Savelli, and D. Bedulli. 1990. Catalogo annotato dei Molluschi marini del Mediterraneo. Libreria Naturalistica Bolognese. Bologna, Italy: 348 pp.
Salvini Plawen, L. v. 1972. Cnidaria as food-sources for marine invertebrates. Cahiers de Biologie Marine 13(3):385-400, pl 1.
Schmekel, L. 1966. Zwei neue Facelinidae aus dem Golf von Neapel. Facelina (A.) fusca n. sp. und Antonietta luteorufa n. sp. n. gen. Pubblicazioni della Stazione Zoologica di Napoli 35: 29-46.
Schmekel, L. 1970. Anatomie der Genitalorgane von Nudibranchiern (Gastropoda Euthyneura). Pubblicacioni della Stazione Zoologica di Napoli 38(1):120-217.
Schmekel, L. 1968. Ascoglossa, Notaspidea und Nudibranchia im Litoral des Golfes von Neapel. Revue Suisse de Zoologie 75(6):103- 155; figs. 1-21.
Schmekel, L., and A. Portmann. 1982. Opisthobranchia des Mittelmeeres, Nudibranchia und Saccoglossa. Fauna e Flora del Golfo Napoli. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
Templado, J., and R. Villanueva. 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. 2005. Nudibranchi del Mediterraneo : guida al riconoscimento dei molluschi opistobranchi. Il Castello, Trezzano sul Naviglio (Milano).
Trainito, E., and M. Doneddu. 2014. Nudibranchi del Mediterraneo, 2a. ed. Il Castello.
Trainito, E., and S. Trainito. 2003. Mediterranean harlequins : a field guide to Mediterranean sea slugs. Taphros, Olbia (SS), Italia.
Vicente, N. 2008. 100 & une limaces de mer : guide d’identification des Mollusques Opisthobranches d’Atlantique et de Méditerranée. Éd. GAP, Challes-les-Eaux.
WoRMS Editorial Board. 2020. World Register of Marine Species. WoRMS. (http://www.marinespecies.org).
Further reading
Cite this article as:
Ballesteros, Manuel, Enric Madrenas, Miquel Pontes (2012-2020) "Facelina fusca" in OPK-Opistobranquis, Published: 17/05/2012, Accessed: 28/11/2020 at (https://opistobranquis.info/en/n23ZU)
