Doriopsilla areolata

Doriopsilla areolata (Bergh, 1880)

Doriopsilla areolata @ L'Escala by Enric Madrenas

Taxonomic note
The results of the study by Furfaro et al (2022) revealed that Doriopsilla areolata, as previously conceived, is a complex of cryptic species that includes at least two different species, D. areolata and D. rarispinosa, endemic to the Mediterranean Sea. D. rarispinosa was previously considered a synonym of D. areolata but this work reinstated it as a valid species based on molecular analysis. Further phylogenetic analyses are still needed to investigate the possible additional species, provisionally reported as Doriopsilla sp1 in Furfaro et al (2022), whose occurrence may be searched both in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean, along the Spanish and Portuguese coasts, in the Southern Mediterranean coasts of the Alboran Sea and possibly along the Spanish coast up to Catalonia. Further research is also needed to solve the taxonomic problem of the Eastern Atlantic specimens currently (and erroneously) classified as Doriopsilla areolata.

Synonyms

• Doriopsilla areolata areolata Bergh, 1880
• Doriopsilla ciminoi Avila, Ballesteros & Ortea, 1992
• Doriopsilla evanae Ballesteros & Ortea, 1980
• Doriopsilla fedalae Pruvot-Fol, 1953
• Doriopsilla pusilla Pruvot-Fol, 1951
• Doris reticulata Schultz in Philippi, 1836 

Description
The animals of this species can reach 40 mm in length. The general coloration, although it can vary among specimens, is a golden-yellow background or brown in the center of the back and golden-yellow in the margin of the mantle. The back is decorated by numerous white lines that crisscross irregularly that surround small mantle hemispherical tubercles. In young specimens the white lines may not be visible yet and instead there are several opaque white circular spots surrounding the tubers, two or more of these spots could join to form a bigger single one. The ventral mantle is very spiculous, with spicules forming irregular chambers. The rinophores are yellow, of a slightly paler shade than the color of the body, and the laminar base is semi-transparent. The gill consists of 4-6 tripinnate leaves colored pale yellow. The foot is narrow and spiculous, with spicules arranged transversely. The mouth lacks the labial palps as with all Dendrodorididae.

Biology
D.areolata is often found under stones, with sponges and brotrillids, from the tidal zone to circalitoral zone, where it’s usually found among commercial fish bycatch. The spawn is yellow and is composed of a 4 mm height ribbon, spirally wound 2-3 times. Eggs are yellow and with a size of 100 microns enclosed in a 130 microns ovigerous capsule.

Etymology

• Doriopsilla, genus described by Rudolf Bergh in 1880 in his paper “Die Doriopsen des Mittelmeeres”. Doriopsilla derives from Doris, a sea nymph in the Greek mythology + “-opsis”, “similar to” o “shaped like” + “-illa”, a diminutive. The final meaning would be “shaped like a small Doris”.
• Areolata is derived from Latin and means “net-like”, referring to the white line pattern of the dorsum.

Distribution
So far this species has only been found on the shores of the Adriatic Sea. Specimens of similar morphology from the Western Mediterranean, Eastern and Western Atlantic most likely correspond to other species (Furfaro et al., 2022). We keep the graphic material of the specimens of Doriopsilla sp1 in this record until their attribution to another species is clarified.

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Bibliography

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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

• AsturNatura
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BiologiaMarina.org
• DORIS
• El Litoral de Granada
• Flickr pictures
• GROC
• Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera
• MedSlugs (Atl.SE)
• NCBI GenBank
• OBIS - Search by Taxon
• Salento Sommerso
• Sea Slug Forum
• World Register of Marine Species

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