Taringa faba Ballesteros, Llera & Ortea, 1985
Superdomain | Biota | |
Kingdom | Animalia | |
Phylum | Mollusca | |
Class | Gastropoda | |
Subclass | Heterobranchia | |
Infraclass | Euthyneura | |
Subterclass | Ringipleura | |
Superorder | Nudipleura | |
Order | Nudibranchia | |
Suborder | Doridina | |
Infraorder | Doridoidei | |
Superfamily | Doridoidea | |
Family | Discodorididae | |
Genus | Taringa | |
Species | Taringa faba Ballesteros, Llera & Ortea, 1985 | |
| Classification according to Bouchet et al. (2017) Taxonomic source: World Register of Marine Species (AphiaID: 140800). | ||
Specimens of this species can reach 37 mm in length. The body is rather flattened, with different shades of brown, deppending on the specimens, with irregularly laid dark spots, and a few scattered white spots. The different shades of the specimens are due to the different density of brown scores that provide the body color. The mantle is very wide and the whole surface is covered with caryophyllic tubercles arranged very tightly; these are cylindrical and smaller in the edges of the mantle, some with a sharp tip. Bigger caryophyllic tubercles are located in the center of the mantle, and are somewhat stalked at the base. They all have a crown of numerous spicules slightly protruding from its upper end. The rhinophores are yellowish and have fine brown pigment, both in the lamellae and the alaminar base. The apex of the rhinophores is club shaped. The rhinophoric sheath is rather high and its upper edge has 8-10 lobulations also with caryophyllic tubercles. The gill consists of 6 tripinnate yellowish leaves decorated with fine brown scores and a whitish spine. The gill leaves, when extended, stand upright and somewhat tightened, they are fully retractable. The anal papilla, in the center of the gill leaves, is of the same color and has a cylindrical shape, with 9-10 rounded lobes on the upper edge. The branchial sheath has 18 to 20 lobes on its upper edge, also provided with caryophyllic tubercles. The foot is relatively narrow compared to the mantle, it is coloured yellow with small brown spots and its anterior border is furrowed and split. The underside of the mantle (hiponotum) and flanks of the foot have larger brown spots and in the hiponotum there are numerous spicules that can be seen by transparency. The mouth has a pair of short yellow palps with some brown spots that can also appear around the mouth hole. When the animal moves, the rear part of the foot may protrude slightly behind the mantle.
Anatomical Note: Taringa species of European waters (T. armata, T. faba, T. millegrana, T. Pinoi and T. oleica) are morphologically very similar and only an study of its internal anatomy, including the radula, allows to distinguish them.
Biology
Very few details of the biology of this species are known due to the lack of records from its presence. The feeding habits are unknown. It is located under stones with sponges from very shallow depths (Ballesteros et al. 1984). Animals move very slowly and acquire a nearly circular shape when at rest. Spawns have been observed in the month of June, in the form of a white spirally wound and somewhat undulated ribbon, of two and a half turns, about 20 mm diameter and 4 mm ribbon width. The eggs are white, are placed very tightly and in several layers, each one having a diameter of about 100 microns.
Etymology
- faba = Refers to the bean shape (from Latin faba-ae= bean) of the copulatory bag of the genital tract.
Distribution
This species is only known from the Catalan coast, where it has been cited in Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Llafranc, Cala Sant Francesc (Blanes), Sitges and Cubelles (type locality for the species).
| 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
Bibliography
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Further reading
Cite this article as:
Ballesteros, Manuel, Enric Madrenas, Miquel Pontes (2012-2020) "Taringa faba" in OPK-Opistobranquis, Published: 29/08/2012, Accessed: 02/04/2020 at (https://opistobranquis.info/en/NeAPw)
