Duvaucelia plebeia (Johnston, 1828)
Synonyms
- Sphaerostoma aurantiacum Barnard, 1927
- Tritonia aurantiaca (Barnard, 1927)
- Tritonia aurantiacum [sic]
- Tritonia pulchra Johnston, 1828
- Tritonia 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
- Duvaucelia. In honor of Alfred Duvaucel (1792-1824), son of Anne-Marie Duvaucel’s marriage to Baron de Cuvier, with whom he was in India and Sumatra collecting objects of natural history for the Museum of Paris until his death, in Java, at the age of 31.
- 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.
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 : 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
Marionia blainvillea, juveniles are similar but have more branchial appendages on the edge of the notum, which is scalloped and not smooth as in D.plebeia.
Abundance
| Western Mediterranean: | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Eastern Mediterranean: | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Atlantic Ocean: | ★☆☆☆☆ |
More pictures
Bibliography
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Further reading
Cite this article as:
Ballesteros, M., Madrenas, E. & Pontes, M. (2023) "Duvaucelia plebeia" in OPK-Opistobranquis. Published: 05/10/2013. Accessed: 04/06/2023. Available at (https://opistobranquis.info/en/V8lZk)
