Home Guide to Opisthobranchs Nudibranchia Doridina Doridoidei Onchidoridoidea Knoutsodonta albonigra

Knoutsodonta albonigra

Knoutsodonta albonigra (Pruvot-Fol 1951)

Atalodoris albonigra @ Costa Brava, Spain by Enric Madrenas

Taxonomy
 

Superdomain

Biota  

 

Kingdom

Animalia  

 

Phylum

Mollusca  

 

Class

Gastropoda  

 

Subclass

Heterobranchia  

 

Infraclass

Euthyneura  

 

Subterclass

Ringipleura  

 

Superorder

Nudipleura  

 

Order

Nudibranchia  

 

Suborder

Doridina  

 

Infraorder

Doridoidei  

 

Superfamily

Onchidoridoidea  

 

Family

Onchidorididae  

 

Genus

Atalodoris  

 

Species

Atalodoris pusilla   (Alder & Hancock, 1845)

 
 Classification according to Bouchet et al. (2017)
Taxonomic source: World Register of Marine Species (AphiaID: 1565333).
Synonyms

  • Lamellidoris albonigra Pruvot-Fol, 1951
  • Onchidoris albonigra (Pruvot-Fol 1951)

Description
Specimens of this species are small and flattened, reaching no more than 6-7 mm in length. The background color of the body is whitish with numerous irregular black spots on the back giving it a dark tone. All the back is covered by small conical papillae, the outer ones may slightly exceed the body margin. A long and robust mantle spicules frame can be seen through the dorsum of the animal, central spicules are set transversely, the marginal ones set radially and among them there are obliquely set spicules. The white rhinophores are retractable, having 7-10 lamellae; the rhinophoric hole is smooth. The gill is composed by about 7 whitish gill leaves arranged in a circle, the interbranquial area is black, home of the anal opening and 2-3 papillae as the ones in the rest of the dorsum. Below the mantle margin, the tight marginal spicules can be seen by transparency. The foot is white but there is a patch of reddish-violet color due to the internal organs. The mouth is surrounded by a rounded lump or oral veil lacking any labial palps.

Biology
Nothing is known of this uncommon species biology, only that, as other species of this genus, lives under stones where encrusting sponges and bryozoans abound. Spawn is about 4 mm in diameter, and consists of an spiral of 2-3 turns; white eggs have about 125 microns in diameter, and apparently are laid one after another in an irregular helical path within the gelatinous frame of the spawn cord.

Etymology

  • Knoutsodonta, from the Greek meaning “lame tooth”, to represent nudibranch species that lack a rachidian or middle tooth.
  • Albonigra, from Latin “alba” (white) and “nigra” (black).

Distribution
Of all the species of the genus in European waters this is the easiest one to identify by the numerous black blotches on the back that give it a dark appearance. However it is one of the least known species because it is a rare finding. So far it is strictly of Mediterranean distribution, the type specimen of the original description by Pruvot-Fol came from Banyuls-sur-mer, only four more specimens have been cited in the Bay of Naples. In the Catalan coast it has been observed in Cadaqués and in some other location of the Costa Brava.

Known georeferenced records of the species: Knoutsodonta albonigra
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: ☆☆☆☆☆
Month

This chart displays the monthly observation probability for Knoutsodonta albonigra based on our own records.

More pictures

Atalodoris albonigra @ Costa Brava, Spain by Manuel Ballesteros
Atalodoris albonigra @ Costa Brava, Spain by Enric Madrenas
Atalodoris albonigra @ Costa Brava, Spain
Atalodoris albonigra @ Costa Brava, Spain by Enric Madrenas
Atalodoris albonigra @ Costa Brava, Spain by Enric Madrenas
Atalodoris albonigra @ Costa Brava, Spain by Miquel Pontes

Bibliography

    Ballesteros, M. 1980. Contribución al conocimientos de los Sacoglosos y Nudibranquios (Mollusca: Opisthobranchia). Estudio anatómico, sistemático y faunístico de las especies del mediterráneo español. Tesis Doctoral.
    Ballesteros, M. 2007. Lista actualizada de los opistobranquios (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia) de las costas catalanas. Spira. 2: 163–188.
    Ballesteros, M. 1982. Estado actual de la fauna de Doridaceos (Mollusca: Opisthobranchia) de las costas Catalanas. Oceanografia de la Mediterrania Occidental, Res. Com Oral Reunion Soc. Cat. Biologia, 2 pp.
    Ballesteros, M., M. Pontes, and E. Madrenas. 2015. Opisthobranch from Medes Islands (Marine Protected Area, Costa Brava, Catalonia, NE Spain): 40 years of study.
    Ballesteros, M., E. Madrenas, and M. Pontes. 2016. Actualización del catálogo de los moluscos opistobranquios (Gastropoda: Heterobranchia) de las costas catalanas. Spira. 6: 1–28.
    Ballesteros, M., E. Madrenas, and M. Pontes. 2023. OPK - Opistobranquis. (https://opistobranquis.info/).
    Ballesteros, M., M. Pontes, and E. Madrenas. 2019. Els nudibranquis del mar català. Brau Edicions, Figueres.
    Bedulli, D., R. Cattaneo-Vietti, R. Chemello, F. Ghisotti, and F. Giovine. 1995. Gastropoda Opisthobranchia, Divasibranchia, Gymnomorpha, Fascicolo 15, pp. 1-23.  In: A. Minelli, A. Ruffo, & S. La Posta (Eds.). Checklist delle specie fauna italiana, Checklist delle specie della Fauna Italiana. Calderini, Bologna.
    Cattaneo-Vietti, R., and G. Barletta. 1984. Elenco preliminare dei molluschi opistobranchi viventi nel Mediterraneo (Sacoglossa, Pleurobranchomorpha, Acochlidiacea, Aplysiomorpha, Nudibranchia). Bollettino Malacologico (Pubblicazione Mensile Edita dalla Societa Italiana di Malacologia) 20(9-12):195-218.
    Cattaneo-Vietti, R., and T. E. Thompson. 1989. Mediterranean opisthobranch molluscs: a zoogeographic approach. Bollettino Malacologico (Pubblicazione Mensile Edita dalla Societa Italiana di Malacologia) 25(5-8):183-204.
    Cattaneo-Vietti, R., R. Chemello, and R. Giannuzzi-Savelli. 1990. Atlas of Mediterranean Nudibranchs. La Conchiglia, Rome, Italy.
    Cervera, J. L., G. Calado, C. Gavaia, M. A. E. Malaquías, J. Templado, M. Ballesteros, J. C. García-Gómez, and C. Megina. 2004. An annotated and updated checklist of the opisthobranchs (Mollusca: Gastropoda) from Spain and Portugal (including islands and archipelagos). Boletín Instituto Español de Oceanografía, 20 (1-4): 1-111. L.
    Cervera, J. L., J. Templado, J. C. García-Gómez, M. Ballesteros, J. Ortea, F. J. García, J. Ros, and A. A. Luque. 1988. Catálogo actualizado y comentado de los Opistobranquios (Mollusca, Gastropoda) de la Península Ibérica, Baleares y Canarias, con algunas referencias a Ceuta y la isla de Alborán. Iberus, supl. 1: 1-84.
    Furfaro, G., and E. Trainito. 2017. A new species from the Mediterranean Sea and North-Eastern Atlantic Ocean: Knoutsodonta pictoni n. sp. (Gastropoda, Heterobranchia, Nudibranchia). Biodiversity Journal, 2017, 8 (2): 725–738.
    Furfaro, G., F. Vitale, C. Licchelli, and P. Mariottini. 2020. Two Seas for One Great Diversity: Checklist of the Marine Heterobranchia (Mollusca; Gastropoda) from the Salento Peninsula (South-East Italy). Diversity. 12: 171.
    Garcia, F. J., and H. Bertsch. 2009. Diversity and distribution of the Gastropoda Opisthobranchia from the Atlantic Ocean: A global biogeographic approach. Scientia Marina. 73: 153–160.
    Long, S. J. 2006. Bibliography of Opisthobranchia 1554-2000. Bayside Books & Press, Tustin, CA, U.S.A. 672p.
    McDonald, G. 2009. Bibliographia Nudibranchia. 2nd Online Edition, Annotated. 1072 pp  Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz. (http://escholarship.org/uc/item/8115h0wz).
    Ortea, J., and M. Ballesteros. 1982. Sobre algunos Onchidoris Blainville, 1816 (Mollusca, Opisthobranchia, Doridacea) del litoral ibérico. Investigación Pesquera 46 (2): 239-254.
    Sabelli, B., R. Gianuzzi-Savelli, and D. Bedulli. 1990. Catalogo annotato dei Molluschi marini del Mediterraneo. Libreria Naturalistica Bolognese. Bologna, Italy: 348 pp.
    Schmekel, L., and A. Portmann. 1982. Opisthobranchia des Mittelmeeres, Nudibranchia und Saccoglossa. Fauna e Flora del Golfo Napoli. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
    Templado, J., and R. Villanueva. 2010. Checklist of Phylum Mollusca. pp. 148-198 In Coll, M., et al., 2010. The biodiversity of the Mediterranean Sea: estimates, patterns, and threats. PLoS ONE 5(8):36pp.
    Trainito, E., and M. Doneddu. 2014. Nudibranchi del Mediterraneo, 2nd. ed. Il Castello.

    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

Cite this article as:

Ballesteros, M., Madrenas, E. & Pontes, M. (2023) "Knoutsodonta albonigra" in OPK-Opistobranquis. Published: 29/08/2012. Accessed: 30/11/2023. Available at (https://opistobranquis.info/en/?p=2266)

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