Trinchesia cuanensis Korshunova, Picton, Furfaro, Mariottini, Pontes, Prkić, Fletcher, Malmberg, Lundin & Martynov, 2019
Superdomain | Biota | |
Kingdom | Animalia | |
Phylum | Mollusca | |
Class | Gastropoda | |
Subclass | Heterobranchia | |
Infraclass | Euthyneura | |
Subterclass | Ringipleura | |
Superorder | Nudipleura | |
Order | Nudibranchia | |
Suborder | Cladobranchia | |
Superfamily | Fionoidea | |
Family | Trinchesiidae | |
Genus | Trinchesia | |
Species | Trinchesia cuanensis Korshunova, Picton, Furfaro, Mariottini, Pontes, Prkić, Fletcher, Malmberg, Lundin & Martynov, 2019 | |
| Classification according to Bouchet et al. (2017) Taxonomic source: World Register of Marine Species (AphiaID: 1343993). | ||
Narrow body, up to 15 mm in length, basally coloured whitish to light greenish, sometimes with a difuse pigment of the same colour scattered over the body, but never forming any continuous dorsal white band. Smooth rhinophores, about 2 times longer than the oral tentacles, both with a diffuse white pigment, sometimes yellowish, but never of an intense orange colour. Up to 10 rows of cerata, commonly with four ceratal rows anterior. The cerata are basally blackish to dark grayish (no green colour) with a narrow dotted orange or a yellowish band, then a dark blue broad band, followed by a narrow dark band, and towards the top of cerata there is broad orange or yellow band. The tips of the cerata are clear with a translucent cnidosac. Anus located between the 4th and 5th ceratal rows on the right side. The foot is narrow, anteriorly with short foot corners.
Biology
Lives in stony, relatively shallow areas, at 10–20 m depth. Feeds on hydrozoans Sertularella polyzonias, and possibly other Sertularella species.The egg mass is a spiral cord forming a minimum of 2 whorls, or an irregular cord. Number of eggs is commonly more than 300.
Etymology
- Trinchesia. In honor of Professor Salvatore Trinchese (1836-1897), Italian opisthobranchologist, Professor of Zoology at the University of Bologna and successor of Paolo Panceri as Professor of Comparative Anatomy at the University of Naples.
- Cuanensis. After Lough Cuan, an alternative name for Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland, where many marine biological studies have been undertaken over the past 100 years.
Distribution
Confirmed records in Ireland, United Kingdom and Swedish west coast. Also present in the Mediterranean where it has been found in the Spanish coast (Granada and the Catalan Costa Brava) also in Croatia. Due to its recent description, and the fact it was traditionally mistaken with T. caerulea, it’s distribution range should be revised (for instance Moro et al. (1995) report this species for the Canary Islands -as Cuthona caerulea- as they do mention especifically the blackish ceratal bases, typical of T.cuanensis).
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
Trinchesia caerulea, larger, tips of oral tentacles and rhinophores coloured light yellow, cerata with only a blue band (more or less evident) and a yellow band. Foot with evident propodial tentacles.
Abundance
| Western Mediterranean: | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Eastern Mediterranean: | ☆☆☆☆☆ |
| Atlantic Ocean: | ★★☆☆☆ |
Vídeo
More pictures
Bibliography
Further reading
Cite this article as:
Pontes, Miquel (2023) "Trinchesia cuanensis" in OPK-Opistobranquis. Published: 17/09/2019. Accessed: 29/03/2023. Available at (https://opistobranquis.info/en/jJxqX)
