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

Bibliography

Steve Long, 2006

Bibliography of Opisthobranchia 1554-2000

Gary McDonald, 2009

Bibliographia Nudibranchia

Further reading

Cite this article as:

Ballesteros, M., Madrenas, E. & Pontes, M. (2023) "Knoutsodonta albonigra" in OPK-Opistobranquis. Published: 29/08/2012. Accessed: 30/03/2023. Available at (https://opistobranquis.info/en/1HCSO)

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Knoutsodonta albonigra