Piseinotecus soussi Tamsouri, Carmona, Moukrim & Cervera, 2014
Superdomain | Biota | |
Kingdom | Animalia | |
Phylum | Mollusca | |
Class | Gastropoda | |
Subclass | Heterobranchia | |
Infraclass | Euthyneura | |
Subterclass | Ringipleura | |
Superorder | Nudipleura | |
Order | Nudibranchia | |
Suborder | Cladobranchia | |
Superfamily | Aeolidioidea | |
Family | Piseinotecidae | |
Genus | Piseinotecus | |
Species | Piseinotecus soussi Tamsouri, Carmona, Moukrim & Cervera, 2014 | |
| Classification according to Bouchet et al. (2017) Taxonomic source: World Register of Marine Species (AphiaID: 818876). | ||
Adult animals of this recently described species measure between 8 and 13 mm in length. The body is narrow and has a long, pointed tail when the animal is moving. The general body color is pink or bluish-pink. The oral tentacles and rhinophores have approximately the same size and are of the same color of the body, but with whitish tips because on many white granulations on this part. The rhinophores are smooth. The eyes are barely visible in the rear base of the rhinophores. Depending on the size of the specimens there are 7 to 9 groups of cerata where each may have from 13 cerata in the first group to only 1 in the last one. The cerata from each group come from a common base or stalk, as in some species of Flabellina. The cerata are cylindrical, relatively long and with a pointed tip; they are semitransparent and have the same coloration of the body but the more or less dark brown digestive gland can be observed inside, filling most of the cerata. The subapical area of the cerata usually have small white spots or scores and the tip is whitish, where the cnidosac can be observed. The foot is narrow and two short, triangular propodials tentacles can be observed in its anterior side. The gonopore is located right under the first group of cerata while the anus is dorsal (acleioproctal position).
Biology
So far this species has been found living under rocks in the intertidal ponds or in the subtidal stratum in rock walls with an abundance of algae and hydroids, on which it may feed. Nothing else is known about his spawn nor other details of its biology.
Etymology
- Piseinotecus means “I stepped on Teco.” Teco was a dog belonging to Ernst and Eveline Marcus. Apparently Prof. Diva Diniz Corrêa, friend of the family, unadvertedly stepped on the dog and while the Marcuses were looking for a new generic name she said in Portuguese: “Pisei”=I stteped, “no”=onto, “Tecus”=the dog’s name. Later on that name became also a family name: Piseinotecidae (ref:Curious Taxonomy and Marcus, Ev. 1987).
- Soussi. Related to Souss Massa Drâa (in Agadir province), where most specimens of this new species have been collected.
Distribution
This species is known from the Atlantic coast of Morocco (type locality of this species is Cap Ghir, about 25 km from Agadir), the coast of Cadiz, southern Italy, Banyuls-sur-Mer (France) and the coast of Catalonia, where it has been observed in Caials (Cadaqués), Cala Jóncols (Roses), the Medes Islands and Tossa de Mar. It may have a wider distribution range because it has been confused with species of the genus Flabellina (F. pedata, F. affinis, F. ischitana) because of their similar morphology and coloration.
| 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
Edmundsella pedata almost identical but without white spots on cerata.
Abundance
| Western Mediterranean: | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Eastern Mediterranean: | ☆☆☆☆☆ |
| Atlantic Ocean: | ★☆☆☆☆ |
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Further reading
Cite this article as:
Cervera, Lucas, Manuel Ballesteros, Enric Madrenas, Miquel Pontes (2023) "Piseinotecus soussi" in OPK-Opistobranquis. Published: 02/10/2014. Accessed: 26/03/2023. Available at (https://opistobranquis.info/en/lbpXU)
