Cuthona thompsoni Garcia, Lopez-Gonzalez & Garcia-Gomez, 1991
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.
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.
| 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
- We have no (more) pictures for Cuthona thompsoni
Bibliography
Further reading
Cite this article as:
Pontes, Miquel (2023) "Cuthona thompsoni" in OPK-Opistobranquis. Published: 17/02/2018. Accessed: 30/03/2023. Available at (https://opistobranquis.info/en/BsK9O)
