Home Guide to Opisthobranchs Nudibranchia Cladobranchia Aeolidioidea Facelina vicina

Facelina vicina

Facelina vicina (Bergh, 1882)

Facelina vicina @ Badalona (Barcelona, Spain) 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 vicina  (Bergh, 1882)

 
 Classification according to Bouchet et al. (2017)
Taxonomic source: World Register of Marine Species (AphiaID: 139917).
Synonyms

  • Acanthopsole vicina Bergh, 1882

Description
Body is elongate, relatively slender, coloured translucent white or pale pink, narrowing to a pointed tail to the back. Rhinophores are long, each one with 11–15 lamellae on the distal part which is coloured white. Oral tentacles are twice as long as the rhinophores, with the distal third also coloured white, and the basal third with iridescent blue pigment. There are white dots on the head and between the bases of the rhinophores. The cerata are spindle-shaped, and very long, some of them half as long as the total body length. The cerata located ahead of the cardiac zone form a cluster while the ones located backwards group in 9 arches, separated from each other, with 3–12 cerata each. The dark green or brown digestive gland is visible inside the cerata through the translucent skin, that could be sprayed with white dots. Juveniles have a single iridiscent blue dot in the base of inner side of cerata, that becomes an iridescent blue longitudinal band when they grow up. The inner side of cerata have a subapical band that in some specimens extends downwards. Cnidosacs at the tip of cerata are coloured hyaline white. The anterior corners of the foot are short and tentaculiform, of the same colour of the body. The eyes are black, visible at the rear side of the base of the rhinophores. The usually red oesophagus is clearly visible through the head skin. Anus on the right side of the body; genital aperture beneath first right group of cerata.

Biology
Like other facelinids it is supposed to feed on hydrozoans. Due to its recent reinstatement, separating it from Facelina bostoniensis (see Carmona, 2020) little else is known from its biology, which was formerly described based on Atlantic specimens of F. bostoniensis. Our lastest findings of this species have been on sandy bottoms in around 10 meters of water and one finding at a depth of 145 metres.

Etymology

  • Vicina, from Latin vicinum, “near”, “proximity”, “neighbour”.

Distribution
Actually limited to the Mediterranean Sea, where most recent records are from the Western basin, from the Iberian peninsula to France and Italy, also in Malta and in Croatia, in the Adriatic Sea.

Known georeferenced records of the species: Facelina vicina
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

Especies similares
Facelina auriculata, has a pinkish notum and cerata with blue irisations. Facelina bostoniensis, a very similar atlantic species that can only be separated from F. vicina by molecular analysis.

Abundance

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

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

Videos

More pictures

Facelina vicina @ Badalona (Barcelona, Spain) by Miquel Pontes
Facelina vicina by José Carlos García Gómez
Facelina vicina by José Carlos García Gómez
Facelina vicina by Enric Madrenas
Facelina vicina by Enric Madrenas
Facelina vicina by Enric Madrenas
Facelina vicina by Enric Madrenas
Facelina vicina by Enric Madrenas
Facelina vicina @ Pointe de l’Espiguette, France by Sylvain Le Bris
Facelina vicina @ France by Pascal Girard
Facelina vicina @ France by Pascal Girard
Facelina vicina with spawn @ France by Pascal Girard
Facelina vicina @ lander on 145 m sand bottom @ Arenys de Mar by Marina Biel
Facelina vicina @ lander on 145 m sand bottom @ Arenys de Mar by Marina Biel
Facelina vicina @ lander on 145 m sand bottom @ Arenys de Mar by Marina Biel
Facelina vicina @ lander on 145 m sand bottom @ Arenys de Mar by Marina Biel

Bibliography

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    Ballesteros M, Ortea J, Martínez E, et al. 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.
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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:

Pontes, Miquel, Manuel Ballesteros, Enric Madrenas (2012-2025) "Facelina vicina" in OPK-Opistobranquis. Published: 28/11/2020. Accessed: 03/02/2025. Available at (https://opistobranquis.info/en/?p=30882)