Doriopsilla rarispinosa

Doriopsilla rarispinosa Pruvot-Fol, 1951

Doriopsilla rarispinosa @ Costa Brava 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	Phyllidioidea
	Family	Dendrodorididae
	Genus	Doriopsilla
	Species	Doriopsilla rarispinosa Pruvot-Fol, 1951

	Classification according to Bouchet et al. (2017) Taxonomic source: World Register of Marine Species (AphiaID: 537051).

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.

Description
This species can reach 25 mm in length. Body flattened, resembling a sea sponge. Its general coloring is variable, it can go from yellow-gold background to almost white, with darker tones that correspond to the internal organs of the body, visible due to a certain transparency of the tissues. The back is decorated by several opaque white circular spots surrounding the dorsal flattened tubercles, and two or more of these spots could join to form a bigger single one. The ventral mantle is very spiculous, with wide margins. The rinophores are about 3 mm long, with a large mucron, coloured of a slightly paler shade than the color of the body, and with a semi-transparent laminar base. The gill consists of 5 tripinnate or quadripinnate leaves about 10 mm long, and colored pale brown or yellowish. The foot is narrow and spiculous, with spicules arranged transversely. The mouth lacks the labial palps as with all Dendrodorididae.

Biology
D. rarispinosa is often found on the tidal zone, under stones with sponges and brotrillids, despite food source is unknown for this species. The spawn is transparent and is composed of a pyramidal section ribbon attached to the substrate forming a spire with a single wide whorl. Eggs have a size of 12 microns and are enclosed in a 35 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”.
Rarispinosa comes from the Latin “rarus”, and “spina”, because it has rare black spines in the vas deferens.

Distribution
This species, described in Banyuls-sur-mer, has so far been limited to the western Mediterranean (Furfaro et al., 2022) where it seems to be endemic, since it has not been found in neighboring marine areas.

Known georeferenced records of the species: Doriopsilla rarispinosa
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 Doriopsilla rarispinosa based on our own records.

Videos

More pictures

Doriopsilla rarispinosa @ Costa Brava by Enric Madrenas

Doriopsilla rarispinosa by Manuel Ballesteros

Doriopsilla rarispinosa @ La Foradada (L’Estartit) 30-01-2016 by Jordi Regàs

Doriopsilla rarispinosa @ Punta del Romaní, L’Escala 31-10-2016 by Enric Madrenas

Doriopsilla rarispinosa @ France by Pascal Girard

Doriopsilla rarispinosa by Nani Díez

Doriopsilla rarispinosa @ France by Pascal Girard

Doriopsilla rarispinosa with spawn @ France by Pascal Girard

Bibliography

Avila C, Ballesteros M, Ortea J. 1992. Una nueva especie de Doriopsilla Bergh, 1880 (Mollusca: Nudibranchia) del archipiélago de Cabo Verde. Historia Animalium (Barcelona) 1: 23-31.

Bedulli D, Cattaneo-Vietti R, Chemello R, et al. 1995. Gastropoda Opisthobranchia, Divasibranchia, Gymnomorpha, Fascicolo 15, pp. 1-23. In: A. Minelli, A. Ruffo, & S. La Posta (Eds.). Checklist delle specie fauna italiana. Bologna: Calderini (Checklist delle specie della Fauna Italiana).

Bergh LSR. 1880. Die Doriopsen des Mittelmeeres. Jahrbucher der Deutsche Malakozoologische Gesellschaft. 7:297–328. Available from https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/16297681.

Cattaneo-Vietti R, Barletta G. 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, Chemello R. 1987. Alcune considerazioni sui molluschi opistobranchi della Sicilia. Bollettino Malacologico (Pubblicazione Mensile Edita dalla Societa Italiana di Malacologia) 23(5-8):207-222.

Cattaneo-Vietti R, Thompson TE. 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, Chemello R, Giannuzzi-Savelli R. 1990. Atlas of Mediterranean Nudibranchs. Rome, Italy: La Conchiglia. 264 p.

Doneddu M, Manunza B, Trainito E. 1995. Opistobranchi del Nord Sardegna: censimento ed annotazioni. Biologia Marina Mediterranea II (2): 369-370.

Furfaro G, Schreier C, Trainito E, et al. 2022. The Sea Slug Doriopsilla areolata Bergh, 1880 (Mollusca, Gastropoda) in the Mediterranean Sea: Another Case of Cryptic Diversity. Diversity. 14(297):1–17. https://doi.org/10.3390/d14040297.

Lombardo A, Marletta G. 2024. A First Approach to the Marine Heterobranchia (Mollusca: Gastropoda) Fauna of Marettimo, Egadi Islands, MPA (Western Sicily, Mediterranean Sea). Coasts. 4:667–686. https://doi.org/10.3390/coasts4040035.

Marcus Er. 1961. Opisthobranchia from North Carolina. Journal Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society 77 (2): 141-151.

Nordsieck F. 1972. Die europäischen Meeresschnecken : (Opisthobranchia mit Pyramidellidae, Rissoacea) : vom Eismeer bis Kapverdem, Mittelmeer und Schawarzes Meer. Stuttgart: Gustav Fischer. XIII, 327 p. p.

Perrone AS. 1986. Il genere Doriopsilla Bergh, 1880 in Mediterraneo: descrizione di Doriopsilla rarispinosa Pruvot-Fol, 1951 (Opisthobranchia: Nudibranchia). Bollettino Malacologico. 22(5–8):97–112.

Pruvot-Fol A. 1954. Mollusques opisthobranches. Paris, France: Paul Lechevalier (Faune de France). 460 p.

Pruvot-Fol A. 1951. Études des nudibranches de la Méditerranée. Archives de Zoologie Expérimentale et Générale. 88:1–80.

Sabelli B, Gianuzzi-Savelli R, Bedulli D. 1990. Catalogo annotato dei Molluschi marini del Mediterraneo. Libreria Naturalistica Bolognese. Bologna, Italy: 348 pp.

Salento Sommerso. 2023. Salento Sommerso. Available from https://www.salentosommerso.it/pp_nudibranchia/Doriopsilla%20areolata/pp_Doriopsilla%20areolata.php.

Sammut CR, Perrone AS. 1998. A preliminary check-list of Opisthobranchia (Mollusca, Gastropoda) from the Maltese Islands. Basteria 62(5-6): 221-240.

Valdés A, Ortea JA. 1994. El genero Doriopsilla Bergh, 1880 (Nudibranchia, Dendrodorididae) en el Atlantico oriental. X Congreso Nacional de Malacologia, Barcelona 13 al 16 de Septiembre de 1994, Libro de Resumenes; pp 107-108.

Valdés A, Ortea J. 1997. Review of the genus Doriopsilla Bergh, 1880 (Gastropoda: Nudibranchia) in the Atlantic Ocean. Veliger. 40(3):240–254.

Wirz-Mangold K, Wyss U. 1958. Faune marine des Pyrénées Orientales: Opisthobranches. Vie et Milieu 9 (supplement 2): 1-71.

Steve Long, 2006

Bibliography of Opisthobranchia 1554-2000

Gary McDonald, 2009

Bibliographia Nudibranchia

Further reading

Cite this article as:

Pontes, Miquel (2012-2025) "Doriopsilla rarispinosa" in OPK-Opistobranquis. Published: 29/01/2023. Accessed: 03/02/2025. Available at (https://opistobranquis.info/en/?p=37081)

Doriopsilla rarispinosa