Guide to Opisthobranchs Nudibranchia Doridina Doridoidei Polyceroidea Crimora papillata

Crimora papillata

Crimora papillata (Alder & Hancock, 1862)

Crimora papillata @ L'Escala 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	Polyceroidea
	Family	Polyceridae
	Subfamily	Triophinae
	Genus	Crimora
	Species	Crimora papillata Alder & Hancock, 1862

	Classification according to Bouchet et al. (2017) Taxonomic source: World Register of Marine Species (AphiaID: 141707).

Description
It is a species that can reach a length over 30 mm in European Atlantic waters, but measures less than 15 mm in the Mediterranean. The color of the body varies from white (mainly in european North Atlantic specimens) to a more or less strong yellowish tint, but always semitransparent, so some organs can be seen through the integument. The back is not smooth but has a lot small yellow or orange tubercles unevenly scattered on it, that can also be found in the margins of the mantle. The anterior margin of the head has a series of irregular tubercles, bifurcated or trifurcated and pointy. The side walls of the body and the back of the tail also have tubercles. The rhinophores have an upper laminated zone with up to 15 lamellae and the base portion is partially transparent; the rinophoric sheath is slightly elevated and its upper edge is smooth. In the rear of the dorsum the are 3 gill leaves, joined at the base and directed backwards, which are coloured semitransparent but have an orange central axis. The gill leaves are bipinnate and simply contractile. Slightly ahead of the gill there is the cardiac region, if observed by stereomicroscope heart contractions can be seen by transparency. The foot is relatively narrow, in its anterior region it forms two short propodial tentacles; it tends to widen backwards, forming a tail that protrudes the back and the sides of the animal’s mantle. The mouth appears as a longitudinal slit in the middle of a large, semicircular oral veil.

Biology
This species is usually found in the infralittoral zone, from 5 to 50 m depth, usually on or near the bryozoan colonies it feeds on, such as Bugula sp., Chartella papyracea, Ch.tenella, Flustra foliacea, Securiflustra securifrons or Membranipora membranacea. On the coasts of Catalonia this species has been observed spawning on the bryozoan Flustra foliacea; the spawn consist of a narrow ribbon of about 1.5 mm wide forming an irregular spiral wound two turns and a half and with a size of about 9 x 6 mm. Eggs, about 80-90 microns in diameter, are yellow, having about 12-13 eggs across the width of the ribbon.

Etymology

Crimora, genus described by Alder & Hancock in 1862, dedicated to the daughter of Rinval, a heroine of Gaelic poetry that, in the Poems of Ossian, died of grief after mistakenly killing Connal, the love of his life.
papillata means that if has papillae, according to the glossary of latin names by Bernard Picton at his web site Nudibranchs of the British Isles

Distribution
This species, after being described by Alder & Hancock in 1862 is not mentioned again until nearly 100 years later when Gantés (1956) finds it in the Atlantic coast of Morocco. Shortly after it is cited in the Mediterranean (Banyuls-sur-Mer, Haefelfinger, 1962; Naples, Schmekel, 1968). Ros (1975) certifies its presence in Iberian waters by collecting several specimens in Fuenterrabía. Today it is widely known in all European Atlantic coasts, from Ireland and the British isles to the Iberian Peninsula and the Canary islands. In the Iberian Peninsula it has been cited in all Atlantic and Mediterranean shores, also known in the Balearic islands (Darder, 2011). In the Catalan coast it has been observed in different localities of the Costa Brava, including the Medes islands and the Formigues islands.

Known georeferenced records of the species: Crimora papillata
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 Crimora papillata based on our own records.

Videos

More pictures

Crimora papillata by Enric Madrenas

Crimora papillata

Crimora papillata by Enric Madrenas

Crimora papillata with spawn by Enric Madrenas

Crimora papillata (Portugal) by Joao Pedro Silva

Radula de Crimora papillata by Luis Sánchez-Tocino

Crimora papillata (Galicia) by Carlos Fernández-Cid

Crimora papillata by Nani Díez

Crimora papillata @ France by Pascal Girard

Crimora papillata with spawn by Manuel Ballesteros

Crimora papillata @ Costa Brava (Spain) by Miquel Pontes

Crimora papillata @ Granada por Luis Sánchez Tocino

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Steve Long, 2006

Bibliography of Opisthobranchia 1554-2000

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Further reading

Cite this article as:

Ballesteros, M., Madrenas, E. & Pontes, M. (2012-2025) "Crimora papillata" in OPK-Opistobranquis. Published: 15/05/2012. Accessed: 03/02/2025. Available at (https://opistobranquis.info/en/?p=424)

Crimora papillata