Candiella plebeia

Candiella plebeia (Johnston, 1828)

Candiella plebeia by Bernard Picton

Taxonomic note: Genus Duvaucelia is reinstated after the paper by Korshunova & Martynov (2020) 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

• Sphaerostoma aurantiacum Barnard, 1927
• Tritonia aurantiaca (Barnard, 1927)
• Tritonia aurantiacum [sic]
• Tritonia pulchra Johnston, 1828
• Tritonia plebeia Johnston, 1828
• Duvaucelia plebeia (Johnston, 1828)

Description
It can reach a size of 25 mm. Quadrangular section body. Its general coloration is pale yellowish with dark brown spots all over the body; its body darkens as the animal grows. There is often a darker brown spot just behind each rhinophore. The cephalic veil has 6 short finger-like processes. Rhinophores with short elongated processes directed obliquely forward; rhinophoric sheath elevated and slightly widened at its upper margin. Up to 5 branchial appendages branching on each side of the back and of unequal size.

Biology
It lives in hard bottoms, from the intertidal zone on the Atlantic coasts to more than 100 m deep. In the Atlantic it is proven that it feeds on the cnidarian Alcyonium digitatum, while in the Mediterranean it has been observed on gorgonians such as Paramuricea clavata and Eunicella singularis. The spawn is a somewhat scalloped and spirally wound white cord of 4-5 turns with very small eggs of 80-90 microns.

Etymology

• Candiella. Classic authors did not usually explain the origin of the chosen names.
• Plebeia, from Latin “plebeius”, of the people.

Distribution
It lives on the European Atlantic coasts from Norway to the Iberian Peninsula. Also in the western Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea. It has been registered on the American Atlantic coast as a non-indigenous species. On the Catalan coast it has been reported in Port de la Selva and in commercial trawling grounds near Lloret and Blanes.

Similar species
Marionia blainvillea, juveniles are similar but have more branchial appendages on the edge of the notum, which is scalloped and not smooth as in Ca.plebeia.

More pictures

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

• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• Encyclopedia of Marine Life of Britain and Ireland
• Flickr pictures
• GROC
• Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera
• Medslugs (Atl.E)
• NCBI GenBank
• OBIS - Search by Taxon
• Scottish Nudibranchs
• Sea Slug Forum
• World Register of Marine Species

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