Candiella odhneri

Candiella odhneri (Tardy, 1963)

Candiella odhneri by Enric Madrenas

Taxonomic note: This species was described for science by J. Tardy in 1963 as Duvaucelia odhneri, then it was transferred to the genus Tritonia as T. odhneri (Tardy, 1963) but then it was found that this name was already occupied by a species of Chilean Pacific Tritonia odhneri Marcus, 1959. For all these reasons, Marcus (1983), in his review of the Tritoniidae of the western Atlantic, assigned a new name for Tardy’s species, Tritonia nilsodhneri Marcus Ev., 1983, which was the name for this species until the end of 2020 when Korshunova & Martynov (2020) reinstated the genus Duvaucelia to differentiate the small Tritoniidae with non-bilobed frontal veil and a moderate number of lateral teeth in radula, mostly inhabiting European temperate and subtropical waters.
In 2023 the genus name Duvaucelia changes again to Candiella as per De Vasconcelos et al. (2023) based on the fact that the original description of Duvaucelia gracilis does not refer to a specimen of Duvaucelia manicata (incorrectly synonymized in the past with Duvaucelia gracilis, type species of the genus Duvaucelia), so they propose the synonymy of Duvaucelia gracilis with Marionia blainvillea instead. Therefore, Duvaucelia is currently not a valid genus and the name Candiella is revived based on the type species Candiella plebeia.
Actual species composition for the genus Candiella is: Candiella cincta (Pruvot-Fol 1937) comb. nov., Ca. coralliumrubri (Doneddu et al. 2014) comb. nov., Ca. lineata comb. nov., Ca. manicata comb. nov., Ca. odhneri comb. nov., Ca. pallescens Eliot 1906 comb. nov., Ca. plebeia, Ca. striata comb. nov. and Ca. taliartensis Ortea and Moro, 2009 comb. nov.

Synonyms

• Tritonia nilsodhneri Marcus Ev., 1983
• Duvaucelia odhneri J. Tardy, 1963

Description
Specimens of this species are long and narrow, with a square section body and can measure more than 30 mm when fully stretched. Its coloration is variable depending on the species of gorgonian on which are: they could be completely white, pink or dark brown. The head with an oral veil with 4-6 thin fingerings, the ones at the sides are the longest. The mouth is located at the bottom center of the head face veil. The rhinophores have a broad base and a club-shaped end, which is surrounded by short fingerings some of which are forked. The rhinophoric sheaths are narrow and of tubular type. The eyes are located at the rear base of the rhinophoric sheaths. On either side of the body there are up to 8 white and finely branched dorsal arborizations, the closer to the tail are often rudimentary. The yellowish animal viscera can be seen by transparency in lightly coloured specimens from the rhinophores’ area up to behind the third pair of dorsal arborizations. The genital papilla is on the right side, under the first dorsal arborization, while the anus is located in the same side but between the first and second arborization. The foot is widened on the rear and is pigmented white.

Biology
This species of dendronotacean lives on gorgonians of the genus Eunicella (E. singularis, E. verrucosa) but it is also found, although less frequently, on the brick coloured gorgonian Lophogorgia sarmentosa. The animals keep a perfect mimicry on the gorgonian they are living by wounding themselves on the branches so their dorsal arborizations resemble the gorgonian polyps. Spawns are laid as a transparent ribbon with white eggs, which are spirally wound on the branches of the gorgonian.

Etymology

• Candiella. Classic authors did not usually explain the origin of the chosen names.
• Odhneri. In honor to Prof. Dr. Nils Hjalmar Odhner, (1884-1973), specialist on molluscs at the Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, succeded Bock as professor of invertebrate zoology and director of this museum department in 1946, until his retirement in 1949, when he was succeded by Karl Lang. However, he continued to work and published until 1968. His interest in molluscs was broad, albeit his special area concerned opisthobranchs.

Distribution
Ca. odhneri lives in the European Atlantic coasts, from the British Isles to the Iberian Peninsula and in the Mediterranean. Also found in the Atlantic coast of Morocco (Moro et al., 2017). Reports from South Africa should be confirmed. In the Iberian Peninsula it has been found in all coastal areas both Atlantic and Mediterranean (Cervera et al. 2004). In Catalonia it has been observed in different localities of the Costa Brava like Cadaqués, L’Escala, Begur, L’Estartit, Tossa de Mar, Blanes and also in the coast of Barcelona.

Similar species
Marionia blainvillea, juveniles are translucent white and have a delicate pattern of white stripes absent in Ca. odhneri. They share habitat.

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Bibliography

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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

• AsturNatura
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BiologiaMarina.org
• CIB - Club Immersio Biologia
• DORIS
• El Litoral de Granada
• Encyclopedia of Marine Life of Britain and Ireland
• Flickr pictures
• GROC
• Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera
• M@re Nostrum
• NCBI GenBank
• OBIS - Search by Taxon
• Sea Slug Forum
• World Register of Marine Species

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