Facelina rubrovittata (Costa, A., 1866)
WoRMS Taxonomic Information
Current classification
| 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 rubrovittata (A. Costa, 1866) |
- Acanthopsole rubrovittata (Costa, 1866)
- Aeolis rubrovittata Costa A., 1866 (original)
- Hervia amari Vicente, 1962
- Cratena amari Vicente, 1962
- Facelina albida Bergh, 1882
- Hervia berghii Vayssière, 1888
Description
This species may reach a size of 15 mm in length. The body is narrow and translucent, and the back is finely dotted with dark brown spots. This species is characterized by the orange lines (sometimes discontinuous) running along the body: a dorsal line from head to tail, passing between rhinophores, and another line along each side of the body, running below the insertion of the cerata to the body. There are also similar orange lines between cerata groups, at least among these located in the anterior part of the body. The oral tentacles are long and thin, transparent on their base, and somewhat pink in their distal half. The rhinophores are smooth, showing 4-5 small ring widenings near the tip. The basal area of the rhinophores is smooth and dark brown while the distal half is pink. There are 5-6 cerata groups on each side of the body, well separated from each other. The first group has 3 rows of cerata, the second and third group show double rows and the rest of the groups show only one row of cerata. The cerata are transparent, thin and are curved towards the inner area of the body, but they are almost completely occupied by the brown digestive gland. The foot is narrow and transparent, with two propodial tentacles, thin and colored whitish, on the anterior part of the foot.
Biology
Little is known about the biology of this rare species. It has been cited feeding on athecate hydrozoans’ polyps of the gender Eudendrium, much like other eolidaceans.
Etimología
- Facelina – Latin for “lined face”
- Rubro = “red” and Vittata = “streaked” in Latin, refers to the 5 rows of broken red lines this species usually has.
Distribución
This is a species that inhabits the Mediterranean and near Atlantic coasts. In the Mediterranean it is found mainly in the western basin but there are also scattered reports along the Adriatic, Greek and Turkish coasts. In the Iberian Peninsula it has been reported in the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts of Andalusia, the east coast of Valencia, the Balearic islands and in many locations of Catalonia: Cadaqués, L’Escala, Begur, Tossa de Mar, and Blanes.
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Similar species
Facelina fusca, body with brown spots, white dorsal band, with red or purple longitudinal lines on the back and sides. Long, smooth rhinophores. Cerata brown slightly curved with very dark tips. Body completely dotted with white.
Abundance
| Western Mediterranean: | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Eastern Mediterranean: | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Atlantic Ocean: | ★☆☆☆☆ |
This chart displays the monthly observation probability for Facelina rubrovittata based on our own records.
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Bibliography
Further reading
Cite this article as:
Ballesteros, M., Madrenas, E. & Pontes, M. (2025) "Facelina rubrovittata" in OPK-Opistobranquis. Published: 17/05/2012. Accessed: 03/09/2026. Available at (https://opistobranquis.info/en/?p=635)
