Home Guide to Opisthobranchs Nudibranchia Doridina Doridoidei Onchidoridoidea Trapania fusca

Trapania fusca

Trapania fusca (Lafont, 1874)

by OPK

Synonyms

  • Drepania fusca Lafont, 1874 (original)

Description
Body soft, smooth, convex at the back, coloured dark brown with minute, dense white spots. The head is rounded and the tail is tappered. The oral tentacles are cylindrical, yellow with a brown base. The rhinophores are greenish yellow, clavate, translucent at the base, with 7 lamellae in the middle part and a cylindrical apex, provided with a sickle-shaped lateral appendages at the base. The gills are pale yellow, with 3 branched leaves, and is also provided with sickle-shaped lateral appendages. The foot is narrow, expanded at the top and elongated. The genital orifice is located under the right sickle shaped tentacle on the side of the head.

Biology
Actually unknown. However other species from the genus feed on tiny organisms that grow on sea sponges called Entoprocta.

Etymology

  • Trapania. The original generic name of this species was Drepania, proposed by Lafont in 1874. Pruvot-Fol in 1931 proposed changing the generic name to Trapania to disambiguate it from Drepania Hübner, 1816 (a group of lepidoptera). Madame Pruvot-Fol does not indicate the origin of the name, but there are two theories: the first would be dedicated to the city of Trapani, the province capital of western Sicily; the second would be inspired on the original generic name Drepania, derived from the Greek “Drepane” which means “sickle” and presumably refers to the shape of the appendages located on the sides of the rhinophores and gills in this genus. Pruvot Fol would have chosen the new name on the basis that it has the same meaning, but not the same sound and thus avoid confusion.
  • Fusca. From Latin “fuscus”, brown, blackened.

Distribution
The specimens reported in the original description by Lafont were found in the Baie d’Arcachon (France) where he considered them as “common” and are the only ones corresponding to this species. Other reports from the Atlantic (Fischer, 1875, 1878; Locard, 1886a, 1886b, 1888; Vayssière, 1901; Cuénot, 1904, 1927; Pruvot-Fol, 1954; Bebbington & Thompson, 1968; Bouchet & Tardy, 1976; Montaudouin & Sauriau, 2000) merely cite Lafont’s findings. All reports of this species from the Mediterranean Sea correspond to a different species, Trapania graeffei, traditionally confused with T. fusca (see Doneddu et al., 2020). The fact that it has not been found again since its description would make this species creditor of the label “species inquirenda” but the confusion with the Mediterranean Trapania graeffei has saved it from this, so far.

Known georeferenced records of the species: Trapania fusca
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 Trapania fusca based on our own records.

More pictures

    We have no (more) pictures for Trapania fusca

Bibliography

    Ballesteros, M., E. Madrenas, and M. Pontes. 2023. OPK - Opistobranquis. (https://opistobranquis.info/).
    Bebbington, A., and T. E. Thompson. 1968. Note sur les opisthobranches du Bassin d’Arcachon. Actes de la Societe Linneenne de Bordeaux, ser. A, 105(5):1-35.
    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.
    Bergh, L. S. R. 1881. Beitrage zu einer Monographie der Polyceraden, II. Verhandlungen der koniglich-kaiserlich Zoologisch-botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien (Abhandlungen) 30:629- 668, pls. X-XV.
    Bouchet, P., and J. Tardy. 1976. Faunistique et biogeographie des nudibranches des cotes Francaises de l’Atlantique et de la Manche. Annales de l’Institut Oceanographique, Monaco 52(2):205-213.
    Cattaneo-Vietti, R. 1986. Alcune considerazioni sui molluschi opistobranchi del Mar Ligure. Lavori Societa Italiana di Malacologia 22:85-96.
    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., and J. C. García. 1988. Redescripcion de Trapania maculata Haefelfinger, 1960 Gastropoda, Nudibranchia). Bollettino Malacologico 24(9-12):161-172.
    Cervera, J. L., and J. C. García-Gómez. 1989. Dos nuevas especies de Trapania Pruvot-Fol, 1931 (Gastropoda: Nudibranchia) del sur de España. Bollettino Malacologico 24 (9-12): 189-204.
    Cervera, J. L., J. C. García-Gómez, and C. Megina. 2000. A new species of Trapania Pruvot-Fol, 1931 from the Bay of Cadiz, with remarks on other Trapania species (Nudibranchia: Goniodorididae). Ophelia 52(1): 17-24.
    de Montaudouin, X., and P.-G. Sauriau. 2000. Contribution to a synopsis of marine species  richness in the Perthuis Charentais Sea with new insights in soft-bottom macrofauna of the Marennes- Oléron Bay. Cahiers de Biologie Marine 41(2):181-222.
    Doneddu, M., E. Trainito, and G. Furfaro. 2020. Trapania graeffei (Bergh, 1881) (Gastropoda, Nudibranchia) is a valid Mediterranean species. Bollettino Malacologico, 56: 86-90.
    Gosliner, T. M., and S. J. Fahey. 2008. Systematics of Trapania (Mollusca: Nudibranchia: Goniodorididae) with descriptions of 16 new species. Systematics and Biodiversity 6(1): 53-98.
    Kress, A. 1970. A new record of Trapania pallida (Opisthobranchia, Gastropoda) with a description of its reproductive system and a comparison with T. fusca. Proceedings of the Malacological Society of London 39:111-116.
    Lafont, A. 1874. Description d’un nouveau genre de nudibranche des cotes de France. Journal de Conchyliologie, series 3, 22:369- 370.
    Long, S. J. 2006. Bibliography of Opisthobranchia 1554-2000. Bayside Books & Press, Tustin, CA, U.S.A. 672p.
    Marcus, Er. 1957. On opisthobranchia from Brazil 2. Journal of the Linnean Society of London (Zoology) 43(292): 390-486.
    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).
    Nordsieck, F. 1972. Die europäischen Meeresschnecken : (Opisthobranchia mit Pyramidellidae, Rissoacea) : vom Eismeer bis Kapverdem, Mittelmeer und Schawarzes Meer. Gustav Fischer, Stuttgart.
    Ortea, J. A., A. Quero, G. Rodriguez, and A. Valdés. 1989. Redescripción de Trapania tartanella (Ihering, 1986) (Mollusca: Nudibranchia). Bollettino Malacologico 25 (5-8): 241-246.
    Ortea, J. A., L. Moro, J. J. Bacallado, and R. Herrera. 2001. Catálogo actualizado de los Moluscos Opistobranquios de las Islas Canarias. Revista de la Academia Canaria de Ciencias. 12: 105–136.
    Pruvot Fol, A. 1931. Notes de systematique sur les opisthobranches. Bulletin du Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, series 2, 3(2):308-316.
    Riedl, R. 1983. Fauna und Flora der Mittelmeeres, ein systematischer Meeresfuhrer fur Biologen und Naturfreunde, 836 pp. Paul Parey, Hamburg & Berlin.
    Riedl, R. 1986. Fauna y flora del mar Mediterráneo :una guía sistemática para biólogos y naturalistas. Ediciones Omega.
    Rudman, W. B. 1987. The genus Trapania (Nudibranchia, Goniodorididae) in the Indo-West Pacific. J. Molluscan Stud. 53(2):189-212.
    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.
    Templado, J., A. A. Luque, and D. Moreno. 1988. Nuevas aportaciones al conocimiento de los opistobranquios del sureste español. Iberus 8 (1): 15-23.
    Trainito, E., and M. Doneddu. 2014. Nudibranchi del Mediterraneo, 2nd. ed. Il Castello.
    Wägele, H., and G. Stanjek. 1996. Spermatocyte chromosomes of six species of Opisthobranchs (Mollusca, Gastropoda). OPHELIA 45(3):191-198.
    Wirz-Mangold, K., and U. Wyss. 1958. Faune marine des Pyrénées Orientales: Opisthobranches. Vie et Milieu 9 (supplement 2): 1-71.
    WoRMS Editorial Board. 2023. World Register of Marine Species. WoRMS. (http://www.marinespecies.org).

    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) "Trapania fusca" in OPK-Opistobranquis. Published: 11/09/2014. Accessed: 01/06/2023. Available at (https://opistobranquis.info/en/iSMXZ)

To copy this cite click on the right button.