Guide to Opisthobranchs Nudibranchia Doridina Doridoidei Polyceroidea Tyrannodoris europaea

Tyrannodoris europaea

Tyrannodoris europaea (García-Gómez, 1985)

Tyrannodoris europaea @ Isla de Tarifa (Cadiz, Spain, Atl. shore) 10-10-2015 by Manuel Martínez Chacón

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	Nembrothinae
	Genus	Tyrannodoris
	Species	Tyrannodoris europaea (García-Gómez, 1985)

	Classification according to Bouchet et al. (2017) Taxonomic source: World Register of Marine Species (AphiaID: 1036127).

Taxonomic note: This species was originally posted as Roboastra europaea García-Gómez, 1985. Willan & Chang (2017) moved all species of the genus Roboastra Bergh, 1877 but the type species Roboastra gracilis (Bergh, 1877) into the new genus Tyrannodoris Willan & Chang, 2017.

Synonyms

Roboastra europaea

Description
The body is long, limaciform and slightly corrugated, coloured mainly grey or greyish-blue, with yellow and orange lines. Younger animals show a darker colouration. The back shows elongated stripes of light grey bordered by orange, almost symmetrical on the two sides, and rounded at their ends. The orange borders separate the light grey and the yellow areas that conform the rest of the pigmented surface. The border of the mantle is not sharply angled. The sides of the animal are coloured following the same chromatic pattern than the dorsum, but the colours are less distinct and merge into one another. The foot is coloured light grey, almost white, linear and with a pointed tail. The cephalic velum is rounded, inconspicuous, and has no lobes. The perfoliated grey or reddish-grey rhinophores can be retracted into their sheaths, and have 35 tightly packed lamellae, coloured with a deeper shade than the rest of the body. The base and tips of the rhinophores are light grey, as are the outer borders of their sheaths. There are 5 non-retractile yellow bipinnate gills, grey at their tips with an orange rachis. The 3 central gills are bigger than the 2 lateral ones. The internal face of the gills has greyish ramifications which are always orientated towards the rear. The short oral grey coloured tentacles are stout with dorso-lateral grooves along part of their length. The propodial tentacles are small and blunt. The slightly red or orange-red anal papilla has 5 internal lobes and lies beyond the gills, that surround it forming a half circle. The renal pore lies in front of and at the right side of the anal papilla, very close to it. The genital pore is conspicuous and lies at the right side, closer to the rhinophores than to the gills.

Biology
The spawn is formed of a long and narrow ribbon, fastened to the substratum (red sea-weeds) by the lower edge. The upper edge is slightly undulated, and the whole mass is laid in a loosely wound spiral of 4 whorls. It is 6-7 mm high and a transverse section of the ribbon shows 3-5 vertical capsule rows. Most of the capsules usually contain a single egg and are rounded with a size of about 100 microns in diameter, while some capsules enclose 2 eggs are ovoid and their long axis is about 150 microns. Members of this genus are rapacious carnivorous, attacking and devouring soft-bodied polycerids: Polycera spp., Polycerella Spp., Limacia spp., Tambja spp., and other ‘phanerobranchs’ (see Megina & Cervera 2003). This species is voracious and shows a curious cannibalistic behaviour: If it finds a smaller specimen of the same species, it is immediately attacks and devours its prey, but if the other specimen is bigger enough, the encounter may end in mating.

Etymology

Tyrannodoris. Genèric name derives from the combination of the Latin word “tyrannus” (terrible) and “doris”.
Europaea. From Europe.

Distribution
This species is known mainly from the Strait of Gibraltar and southern Iberian Peninsula. Presence confirmed in Madeira by the collection of one specimen at Funchal harbour. Also recorded in southwestern Portugal (Calado et al., 2003) and in Catalonian coasts (NE Spain) (Schick, pers. comm.). Poddubetskaia & Petit de Voice (Sea Slug Forum, 2003) report it at Dakar (Senegal), the southernmost record of this species in the Atlantic.

Known georeferenced records of the species: Tyrannodoris europaea
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 Tyrannodoris europaea based on our own records.

Videos

More pictures

Tyrannodoris europaea by João Pedro Silva

Tyrannodoris europaea by Sergio López González (www.granadasubmarina.org)

Radula de Tyrannodoris europaea by Luis Sánchez-Tocino

Tyrannodoris europaea @ Tarifa by Manuel Martínez Chacón

Tyrannodoris europaea @ Isla de Tarifa (Cadiz, Spain, Atl. shore) 10-10-2015 by Manuel Martínez Chacón

Tyrannodoris europaea by José Carlos García Gómez

Tyrannodoris europaea @ Port of Motril, Granada, Spain 20.04.2021 by Luis Sánchez Tocino

Tyrannodoris europaea @ Granada por Luis Sánchez Tocino

Bibliography

Ballesteros, M., E. Madrenas, and M. Pontes. 2023. OPK - Opistobranquis. (https://opistobranquis.info/).

Ballesteros, M., M. Pontes, and E. Madrenas. 2019. Els nudibranquis del mar català. Brau Edicions, Figueres.

Bielecki, S., G. Cavignaux, J. M. Crouzet, and S. Grall. 2011. Des limaces de rêve.

Calado, G., M. Malaquias, C. Gavaia, J. L. Cervera, C. Megina, B. Dayrat, Y. Camacho, M. Pola, and C. Grance. 2003. New data on opisthobranchs (Mollusca: Gastropoda) from the southwestern coast of Portugal. Boletín Instituto Español de Oceanografía 19 (1-4): 199-204.

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., G. Calado, C. Gavaia, M. A. E. Malaquías, J. Templado, M. Ballesteros, J. C. García-Gómez, and C. Megina. 2004. An annotated and updated checklist of the opisthobranchs (Mollusca: Gastropoda) from Spain and Portugal (including islands and archipelagos). Boletín Instituto Español de Oceanografía, 20 (1-4): 1-111. L.

Cervera, J. L., J. Templado, J. C. García-Gómez, M. Ballesteros, J. Ortea, F. J. García, J. Ros, and A. A. Luque. 1988. Catálogo actualizado y comentado de los Opistobranquios (Mollusca, Gastropoda) de la Península Ibérica, Baleares y Canarias, con algunas referencias a Ceuta y la isla de Alborán. Iberus, supl. 1: 1-84.

Debelius, H., and R. H. Kuiter. 2007. Nudibranchs of the world. IKAN- Unterwasserarchiv, Frankfurt.

Garcia, F. J., and H. Bertsch. 2009. Diversity and distribution of the Gastropoda Opisthobranchia from the Atlantic Ocean: A global biogeographic approach. Scientia Marina. 73: 153–160.

García-Gómez, J. C. 1985. A new species of Roboastra (Gastropoda: Nudibranchia) from the Gibraltar Strait (Southern Spain). Journal of Molluscan Studies 51: 169-176.

García-Gómez, J. C. 2002. Paradigmas de una fauna insólita; Los moluscos opistobranquios del estrecho de Gibraltar (Serie Ciencias) 20: 397 pp. Instituto de Estudios Gibraltareños. Algeciras, Cádiz, Spain.

García-Gómez, J. C., J. L. Cervera, F. J. García, J. A. Ortea, S. F. García-Martin, A. Medina, and L. P. Burnay. 1991. Resultados de la campaña internacional de biología marina “Algarve 88”: moluscos opistobranquios. Bollettino Malacologico 27 (5-9): 125-138.

Grande, C. 2004. Sistematica molecular de los Euthyneura (Mollusca: Gastropoda). Tesis doctoral. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. Madrid: 169 pp.

Grande, C., J. Templado, J. L. Cervera, and R. Zardoya. 2001. Complete sequence of the mitochondrial genome of a nudibranch, Roboastra europaea (Mollusca, Opisthobranchia). Abstracts World Congress of Malacology 2001, Vienna, Austria. Unitas Malacologica, 2001 p.130.

Grande, C., J. L. C. J. Templado, and R. Zardoya. 2002. The complete mitochondrial genome of the nudibranch Roboastra europaea (Mollusca: Gastropoda) supports the monophyly of opisthobranchs. Molecular Biology and Evolution 19 (10): 1672-1685.

Long, S. J. 2006. Bibliography of Opisthobranchia 1554-2000. Bayside Books & Press, Tustin, CA, U.S.A. 672p.

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).

Megina, C., and J. L. Cervera. 2003. Diet, prey selection and cannibalism in the hunter opistobranch Roboastra europaea. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 83 (3): 489-495.

Megina, C., J. L. Cervera, and J. C. García Gómez. 1997. Preliminary Report of the Feeding of the Nudibranch Roboastra europaea García-Gómez, 1985 from the Strait of Gibraltar. West. Soc. Malacol. Ann. Rep. 29:17.

Moreno, D., and J. Templado. 1998. Nuevas aportaciones al conocimiento de los opistobranquios del sureste español. II. Iberus 16 (2): 39-58.

Ocaña Martín, A., L. Sánchez Tocino, S. López González, and F. Viciana Martín. 2000. Guía submarina de invertebrados no artrópodos. Comares, Granada.

Ortea, J. A., and J. C. García. 1986. Descripcion de una nueva especie de Tambja Burn, 1962 (Mollusca: Nudibranchia) del Archipielago de Cabo Verde. Publicacoes Ocasionais da Sociedade Portuguesa de Malacologia 7:1-4, pl 1.

Perrone, A. S. 1990. Recenti acquisizioni faunistiche relative agli Opistobranchi (Aplysiomorpha, Pleurobrancomorpha, Sacoglossa, Nudibranchia) del Mediterraneo. Lavori (Soc. Ven. Sc. Nat) 15:21- 27.

Pola, M., J. L. Cervera, and J. L. Gosliner. 2007. Phylogenetic relationships of Nembrothinae (Mollusca: Doridacea: Polyceridae) inferred from morphology and mitochondrial DNA. Molecular Phylogenetics & Evolution 43(3):726-742.

Pola, M., L. J. Cervera, and T. M. Gosliner. 2008. Description of the first Roboastra species (Nudibranchia, Polyceridae, Nembrothinae) from the Western Atlantic. Bulletin of Marine Science, 83(2), 391-399.

Pola, M., Y. Vallès, J. L. Cervera, M. Medina, and T. M. Gosliner. 2006. Taxonomic status of Tambja abdere and Tambja fusca based on morphological and molecular evidence, with comments on the phylogeny of the subfamily Nembrothinae (Nudibranchia, Polyceridae). Annales Zoologici Fennici 43:52-64.

Pola, M., J. L. Cervera, and T. M. Gosliner. 2006. Taxonomic revision and phylogenetic analysis of the genus Tambja Burn, 1962 (Mollusca, Nudibranchia, Polyceridae). Zoologica Scripta 35(5):491-530.

Pola, M., J. L. Cervera, and T. M. Gosliner. 2005. Review of the systematics of the genus Roboastra Bergh, 1877 (Nudibranchia, Polyceridae, Nembrothinae) with the description of a new species from the Galápagos Islands. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 144(2): 167-189.

Pola, M., J. L. Cervera, and T. M. Gosliner. 2003. The genus Roboastra Bergh, 1877 (Nudibranchia: Polyceridae: Nembrothinae) in the Atlantic Ocean. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences. 54(22): 381-392.

Rudman W.B. et al. 1998. Roboastra europaea accessed through: Sea Slug Forum on 2014-12-14. (http://seaslugforum.net/showall/roboeuro).

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

Sánchez Tocino, L. 2001. Roboastra europaea accessed through: Opistobranquios de la Costa de Granada on 2014-12-14. (http://www.ugr.es/~lstocino/pagina_nueva_26.htm).

Sánchez Tocino, L., A. Ocaña, and F. J. García. 2000b. The genus Tambja Burn, 1962 (Gastroposa, Opisthobranchia) in the Mediterranean Sea with remarks on the intraspecific variability. Argonauta 14 (1): 67-75.

Sánchez Tocino, L., A. Ocaña, and F. J. García. 2000. Contribución al conocimiento de los moluscos opistobranquios de la costa de Granada (sureste de la Península Ibérica). Iberus 18(1):1-14.

Sánchez-Tocino, L. 2018. El Litoral de Granada - Opistobranquios. El Litoral de Granada. (https://litoraldegranada.ugr.es/el-litoral/el-litoral-sumergido/fauna/moluscos/gasteropodos/opistobranquios/).

Silva, J. P. 2008. Roboastra europaea accessed through: Hypselodoris, Lesmas do Mar on 2014-12-21. (http://hypselodoris.blogspot.pt/2011/08/roboastra-europaea-garcia-gomez-1985.html).

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.

Trainito, E. 2005. Nudibranchi del Mediterraneo : guida al riconoscimento dei molluschi opistobranchi. Il Castello, Trezzano sul Naviglio (Milano).

Trainito, E., and M. Doneddu. 2014. Nudibranchi del Mediterraneo, 2nd. ed. Il Castello.

Valdés, A., and V. Heros. 1998. The types of Recent and certain fossil opisthobranch molluscs in the Museum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris. Zoosystema 20(4):695-742.

Valles, Y., and J. Boore. 2006. Lophotrochozoan mitochondrial genomes. Integrative & Comparative Biology 46(4):544-557.

Willan, R. C., and Y.-W. Chang. 2017. Description of three new species of Tambja (Gastropoda, Nudibranchia, Polyceridae) from the western Pacific Ocean reveals morphological characters with taxonomic and phylogenetic significance for traditional Polyceridae and related “phaneorobranch” nudibranchs. Basteria. 81(1-3): 1-23.

Wirtz, P. 1995. Unterwasserführer Madeira, Kanarean, Azoren. Delius Klasing, Edition Naglschmid, Stuttgart, Germany.

Wirtz, P. 1998. Opisthobranch Molluscs from the Azores. Vita Marina. 45: 1–16.

Wirtz, P., and H. Debelius. 2003. Mediterranean and Atlantic invertebrate guide. ConchBooks, Hackenheim, Germany.

WoRMS Editorial Board. 2023. World Register of Marine Species. WoRMS. (http://www.marinespecies.org).

Steve Long, 2006

Bibliography of Opisthobranchia 1554-2000

Gary McDonald, 2009

Bibliographia Nudibranchia

Further reading

Cite this article as:

Pontes, Miquel, Manuel Ballesteros, Enric Madrenas (2023) "Tyrannodoris europaea" in OPK-Opistobranquis. Published: 04/10/2013. Accessed: 05/12/2023. Available at (https://opistobranquis.info/en/?p=10677)

To copy this cite click on the right button.

Tyrannodoris europaea