Limacia iberica Caballer, Almón & Pérez-Dieste, 2016
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 | Limacia | |
Species | Limacia iberica Caballer, Almón & J. Pérez, 2016 | |
| Classification according to Bouchet et al. (2017) Taxonomic source: World Register of Marine Species (AphiaID: 866500). | ||
White body with red-orange patches on the back and on the sides of the foot, with the body tissue filled with long spicules (up to 650 microns) which, upon reaching the surface through the skin, give it a rigid look. It has a short and sturdy tail. The dorsum is smooth but for the presence of eight small tubercles with orange tips, located in the midline, between the rhinophores and the gill, and 50 long and robust club-shaped papillae, with the yellow tip and a small spherical white body on top, arranged along the edge of each body side. The rhinophores are long, with orange tips and between 17 and 19 sensory lamellae, rising from low, smooth edged rhinophoral sheaths. The gill has 3 bipinnate white leaves with yellow tips.
Limacia iberica is morphologically very similar to Limacia clavigera, with which it has been probably confused due to the poor description by Müller (who in 1776 described it with 6 words, literally, although the author later expanded the description with further information and illustrations in 1788 and 1806). These species differ because Limacia clavigera has much less lateral papillae (20-24) and, in addition, they are much shorter and with an orange tip (not white as in L.iberica). Limacia clavigera has a tuberculated and much less spiculated dorsum, while in L.iberica there is only a mid-dorsal row of 8 tubercles, while the mantle spicules are so long and abundant that they “break” the skin and can be seen with the naked eye. The tail of Limacia clavigera is longer and more stylized and with yellow spots. The rhinophores are shorter and have fewer lamellae (10-14). Finally, Limacia clavigera does not have a rachidian tooth, while L. Iberica has a rectangular one.
Biology
The studied specimens were found in a rock wall 32 m deep, in an area without algae. Limacia iberica apparently lives in deep, cool waters, in rocky areas with almost no algae but with bryozoans like Schizoporella, that could be its food source (Caballer et al., 2015).
Etymology
- Limacia. From Latin word “limax”, slug, viscous.
- Iberica. From Latin “Iber”, Iberia inhabitant. From the Iberian peninsula.
Distribution
The only specimens identified so far as Limacia iberica have been found in Galicia, Spain (platform “O Sobreiro”), in Cannes (France) and a specimen with mixed traits between L.iberica and L.clavigera at Punta Salines (L’Estartit, Spain). It is probably more common than it seems.
| 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: | ★☆☆☆☆ |
More pictures
Bibliography
Further reading
Cite this article as:
Pontes, Miquel, Manuel Ballesteros, Enric Madrenas (2023) "Limacia iberica" in OPK-Opistobranquis. Published: 14/01/2016. Accessed: 26/03/2023. Available at (https://opistobranquis.info/en/Rw7TJ)
