Home Guide to Opisthobranchs Nudibranchia Cladobranchia Fionoidea Cuthona thompsoni

Cuthona thompsoni

Cuthona thompsoni Garcia, Lopez-Gonzalez & Garcia-Gomez, 1991

Cuthona thompsoni by F.J. García

Taxonomy
 

Superdomain

Biota  

 

Kingdom

Animalia  

 

Phylum

Mollusca  

 

Class

Gastropoda  

 

Subclass

Heterobranchia  

 

Infraclass

Euthyneura  

 

Subterclass

Ringipleura  

 

Superorder

Nudipleura  

 

Order

Nudibranchia  

 

Suborder

Cladobranchia  

 

Superfamily

Fionoidea  

 

Family

Cuthonidae  

 

Genus

Cuthona  

 

Species

Cuthona thompsoni  F. J. García, López-González & García-Gómez, 1991

 
 Classification according to Bouchet et al. (2017)
Taxonomic source: World Register of Marine Species (AphiaID: 141635).

Taxonomic note: The phylogenetic analyses performed by Cella et al. (2016) revealed that the traditional Tergipedidae family is polyphyletic and belongs to a larger monophyletic clade including members of the traditional families Eubranchidae, Fionidae and Calmidae; this was an unexpected result, since the validity of these taxa and their distinctness from the Tergipedidae was never questioned before. They proposed to join the families Tergipedidae, Eubranchidae, Calmidae and Fionidae under the name of Fionidae. Within Fionidae, obtained results demonstrated the need of developing a new classification as previous classifications (for instance, separating Catriona, Cuthona and Trinchesia as distinct taxa) were inconsistent with the resulting phylogeny. Analyses also recover a clade (Tenellia) that includes all members of the genera Tenellia, Trinchesia, Phestilla, Catriona and the majority of described and undescribed Cuthona species. New genera Rubramoena, Abronica and Tergiposacca are proposed to group other species. This molecular study also suggests that Fionidae is rich in cryptic species complexes, difficult to separate by traditional taxonomic characters, and a great previously undetected species diversity.
A few months later Korshunova et al. (2017) take up the study of the phylogeny of the Tergipedidae and using not only molecular data but also morphological and ontogenetic data they severely criticise the work by Cella et al. (2016), proposing to reinstate the families Calmidae, Eubranchidae, Fionidae, Tergipedidae, Cuthonidae, Cuthonellidae and Trinchesiidae, the latter being the most abundant in specific taxa. They also reinstate the genera Catriona, Diaphoreolis, Phestilla and Trinchesia that in the paper by Cella et al. (2016) had been included in the genus Tenellia. Korshunova et al. also describe a new genus, Zelentia that includes Z. pustulata (type species Eolis pustulataAlder & Hancock, 1854), Z. fulgens (MacFarland, 1966) and a new species from the Barents Sea, Z. ninel, indicating important p-distances among the three species (between 10.49% and 13.83%). All previous genera, Korshunova et al. (2017) consider them within the family Trinchesiidae. They also question the validity of the Rubramoena genus of Cella et al.
The position of WoRMS is conservative, maintaining the families Cuthonidae, Calmidae, Cuthonellidae, Eubranchidae, Fionidae, Pseudovermidae, Tergipedidae and Trinchesiidae within the superfamily Fionoidea. The European species that, until recently, were considered as Cuthona, WoRMS considers them within the genus Trinchesia, as T.albopunctata, T.caerulea, T.foliata, T.genovae, T.granosa, T.ilonae, T.miniostriata and T.ocellata. Rubramoena is also considered a valid genus in WoRMS. These opinions are those that we accept in OPK while no other more conclusive data are available.

Description
The body is hyaline white, quite elongated and with a maximum recorded length of around 8 mm. The anterior part of the foot widens forward, with rounded corners. In the head there are three pairs of orange spots arranged in a characteristic way. The pericardial area and the head present are dotted with iridescent white spots that do not reach the base of the rhinophores. The rhinophores are somewhat longer than the oral tentacles; both are smooth and with iridescent white tips. The ceratas are yellowish and are covered with small white dots, with an orange spot at the base of cnidosac, and another orange spot at the base of the cerata. The digestive gland inside can be seen by transparency and is dark brown with white spots. The ceratas are arranged in 10 groups of oblique rows inserted in the margins of the notum, cylindrical in section, they can vary their length depending on the activity of the animal.

Biology
It lives among rocks, in the intertidal and in shallow water areas, where the cnidarian it preys on grows.

Etymology

  • Thompsoni. In memory of Dr. T.E. Thompson, died in a traffic accident in January 1990.

Distribution
It is found on the southern coasts of the Iberian Peninsula, from Portugal to the Levantine coast.

Known georeferenced records of the species: Cuthona thompsoni
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: ★☆☆☆☆
Month

This chart displays the monthly observation probability for Cuthona thompsoni based on our own records.

More pictures

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Bibliography

    Ballesteros, M., E. Madrenas, and M. Pontes. 2023. OPK - Opistobranquis. (https://opistobranquis.info/).
    Calado, G., M. Malaquias, C. Gavaia, J. L. Cervera, C. Megina, B. Dayrat, Y. Camacho, M. Pola, and C. Grance. 2003. New data on opisthobranchs (Mollusca: Gastropoda) from the southwestern coast of Portugal. Boletín Instituto Español de Oceanografía 19 (1-4): 199-204.
    Cervera, J. L., J. C. García-Gómez, and P. J. López-González. 1992. A new aeolid (Gastropoda: Nudibranchia) from the Atlantic coasts of the Southern Iberian peninsula. The Veliger 35(4): 330-337.
    Cervera, J. L., J. C. García-Gómez, F. J. García García, and J. Díaz Pavón. 2011. Familia Tergipedidae in Gofas S, Moreno D, Salas C. Moluscos marinos de Andalucía. Vol. II. Servicio de Publicaciones e Intercambio Científico, Universidad de Málaga.
    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.
    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.
    García, F. J., P. J. López-González, and J. C. García-Gómez. 1991. A new species of Tergipedidae (Nudibranchia: Aeolidoidea) from the Atlantic coast of Southern Spain. Journal of Molluscan Studies 57 (supplement): 217-222.
    García-Gómez, J. C. 2002. Paradigmas de una fauna insólita; Los moluscos opistobranquios del estrecho de Gibraltar (Serie Ciencias) 20: 397 pp. Instituto de Estudios Gibraltareños. Algeciras, Cádiz, Spain.
    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).
    Moro, L., J. Ortea, and J. J. Bacallado. 2016. Nuevas citas y nuevos datos anatómicos de las babosas marinas (Mollusca: Heterobranchia) de las islas Canarias y su entorno. Revista de la Academia Canaria de las Ciencias., 48: 9-52.
    Ortea, J., L. Moro, and M. Caballer. 2002. Descripcion de una especie nueva del género Cuthona Alder & Hancock, 1855 (Mollusca: Nudibranchia) de las islas de Cabo Verde. Revista de la Academia Canaria de Ciencias 13(4): 117-121. [TI - Descripcion de una especie nueva del género Cuthona Alder & Hancock, 1855 (Mollusca: Nudibranchia) de las islas de Cabo Verde.
    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., and M. Doneddu. 2014. Nudibranchi del Mediterraneo, 2nd. ed. Il Castello.
    Wirtz, P., and H. Debelius. 2003. Mediterranean and Atlantic invertebrate guide. ConchBooks, Hackenheim, Germany.
    WoRMS Editorial Board. 2023. World Register of Marine Species. WoRMS. (http://www.marinespecies.org).

    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 (2023) "Cuthona thompsoni" in OPK-Opistobranquis. Published: 17/02/2018. Accessed: 23/09/2023. Available at (https://opistobranquis.info/en/?p=25848)

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