Home Guide to Opisthobranchs Pleurobranchida Berthella plumula

Berthella plumula

Berthella plumula (Montagu, 1803)

Berthella plumula (Portugal) by João Pedro Silva

Taxonomy
 

Superdomain

Biota  

 

Kingdom

Animalia  

 

Phylum

Mollusca  

 

Class

Gastropoda  

 

Subclass

Heterobranchia  

 

Infraclass

Euthyneura  

 

Subterclass

Ringipleura  

 

Superorder

Nudipleura  

 

Order

Pleurobranchida  

 

Superfamily

Pleurobranchoidea  

 

Family

Pleurobranchidae  

 

Genus

Berthella  

 

Species

Berthella plumula  (Montagu, 1803)

 
 Classification according to Bouchet et al. (2017)
Taxonomic source: World Register of Marine Species (AphiaID: 140812).
Synonyms

  • Berthella porosa de Blainville, 1824
  • Bulla plumula Montagu, 1803 (original)
  • Cleanthus montagui Leach, 1852
  • Lamellaria kleciachi Brusina, 1866
  • Pleurobranchus brevifrons Philippi, 1844
  • Pleurobranchus fleuriausi d’Orbigny, 1837
  • Pleurobranchus perforatus Philippi, 1844
  • Pleurobranchus plumula (Montagu)
  • Sigaretus stomatellus Risso, 1826

Taxonomic note: Following the study by Ghanimi et al. (2020) of the Berthella stellata species complex, it turns out that the species known so far as Berthella plumula (Montagu, 1803) is actually a complex of two differentiated species; the name B. plumula is retained for specimens from the Atlantic, while the name Berthella perforata (Philippi, 1844) is proposed for specimens from the Mediterranean.

Description
This species can grow up to 35 mm. The overall body color is whitish or pale, but orange animals are not rare. Light brown viscera can be seen, by transparency, in the center of the dorsum. The mantle is quite flat and is characterized by having a lattice pattern consisting of differently shaped small depressions, that provide the dorsum a porous appearance. With a binocular microscope, numerous star like spicules can be seen under the mantle epidermis. The inner shell can also be observed in the central area of the mantle. The head veil, the rhinophores, the branquia and foot are whitish or yellowish. The gill is free for about one third of its total length and has about 20 lamellae on either side of the central shaft.

Biology
It is an sporadical finding, usually under stones or associated to shallow Posidonia oceanica rhizomes. The foot of this species has glands that produce acidic defensive secretions. Little is known about the biology of this species, which could feed on sponges and colonial tunicates.

Etymology

  • Berthella. Probably dedicated to Sabin Berthelot (1794-1880), a French naturalyst who enrolled the Navy and participated in the Napoleonic wars. He lived part of his life at the Canary islands, in his post as French consul in Tenerife. The abbreviation “Berth” is used to indicate Sabin Berthelot as an authority in the scientific botanical description and classification. He wrote the “Historia Natural de Canarias” and directed the Botanical Garden of Puerto de la Cruz.
  • Plumula. Latin origin, the aftershaft of a feather. The first bud, or gemmule, of a young plant; the bud, or growing point, of the embryo, above the cotyledons.

 Distribution
This species inhabits all the European Atlantic coasts. Mediterranean specimens formerly included in this species have been classified, after the work by Ghanimi et al (2020) as B.perforata. In the Iberian Peninsula it has been observed and collected along the entire Atlantic coast, also in Madeira, Azores and the Canary Islands.

Known georeferenced records of the species: Berthella plumula
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 Berthella plumula based on our own records.

More pictures

Berthela plumula (Atlantic) by Carlos Fernández-Cid

Bibliography

    Anderson, J. 1999. Berthella plumula accessed through: Scottish Nudibranchs on 2014-12-21. (http://www.nudibranch.org/Scottish Nudibranchs/berthella-plumula.html).
    Ballesteros, M., E. Madrenas, and M. Pontes. 2023. OPK - Opistobranquis. (https://opistobranquis.info/).
    Bielecki, S., G. Cavignaux, J. M. Crouzet, and S. Grall. 2011. Des limaces de rêve.
    Cervera, J. L., and J. C. García-Gómez. 1986. Moluscos opistobranquios del litoral occidental andaluz: nuevas aportaciones faunísticas. Iberus 6 (2): 201-207.
    Cervera, J. L., T. M. Gosliner, J. C. García-Gómez, and J. Ortea. 2000. A new species of Berthella Blainville, 1824 (Opisthobranchia: Notaspidea) from the Canary Islands (Eastern Atlantic Ocean), with a re-examination of the phylogenetic relationships of the Notaspidea. Journal of Molluscan Studies 66: 301-311.
    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.
    Furfaro, G., F. Vitale, C. Licchelli, and P. Mariottini. 2020. Two Seas for One Great Diversity: Checklist of the Marine Heterobranchia (Mollusca; Gastropoda) from the Salento Peninsula (South-East Italy). Diversity. 12: 171.
    Ghanimi, H., M. Schrödl, J. H. R. Goddard, M. Ballesteros, T. M. Gosliner, Y. Buske, and Á. Valdés. 2020. Stargazing under the sea: molecular and morphological data reveal a constellation of species in the Berthella stellata (Risso, 1826) species complex (Mollusca, Heterobranchia, Pleurobranchidae). Marine Biodiversity. 50: 1–32.
    Göbbeler, K., and A. Klussmann Kolb. 2010. Out of Antarctica?-New insights into the phylogeny and biogeography of the Pleurobranchomorpha (Mollusca, Gastropoda). Molecular  Phylogenetics & Evolution. 55: 996–1007.
    Grande, C., J. Templado, J. L. Cervera, and R. Zardoya. 2003. Molecular phylogeny of Euthyneura (Mollusca: Gastropoda). Molecular Biology and Evolution 21 (2): 303-313. 21: 303–313.
    Hidalgo, J. C. 1917. Fauna malacológica de España, Portugal y las Baleares. Trabajos del Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales. Serie Zoología (Madrid) 30: 752 pp.
    Karmeinski, D., K. Meusemann, J. Goodheart, M. Schrödl, A. V. Martynov, T. Korshunova, H. Wägele, and A. Donath. 2021. Transcriptomics provides a robust framework for the relationships of the major clades of cladobranch sea slugs (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Heterobranchia), but fails to resolve the position of the enigmatic genus Embletonia. BMC Ecology and Evolution. 21: 226–243.
    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).
    Menéndez, J. L., and J. Oliveros. 2004. Berthella plumula accessed through: AsturNatura on 2015-02-05. (http://www.asturnatura.com/especie/berthella-plumula.html).
    Montagu, G. 1803. Testacea Britannica or Natural History of British Shells, Marine, Land, and Fresh-water, Including the Most Minute: Systematically Arranged and Embellished with Figures. J. White, London, Vol. 1, xxxvii + 291 pp. and Vol. 2, 293–606 pp.
    Moro, L., J. L. Martín Esquivel, M. J. Garrido Sanahuja, and I. Izquierdo Zamora. 2003. Lista de especies marinas de Canarias (algas, hongos, plantas y animales). Consejería de Política Territorial y Medio Ambiente del Gobierno de Canarias.
    Naya Garmendia, L. M. 2016. Nudibranquios de la Costa Vasca: el pequeño Cantábrico multicolor. Aquarium de Donostia-San Sebastián.
    Prkić, J., A. Petani, Ð. Iglić, and L. Lanča. 2018. Stražnjoškržnjaci Jadranskoga Mora: Slikovni Atlas i Popis Hrvatskih Vrsta / Opisthobranchs of the Adriatic Sea: Photographic Atlas and List of Croatian Species. Ronilaćki Klub Sveti Roko, Bibinje.
    Rudman W.B. et al. 1998. Berthella plumula accessed through: Sea Slug Forum on 2014-12-14. (http://seaslugforum.net/showall/bertplum).
    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/).
    Smith, I. 2012. Berthella plumula accessed through: The Conchological Society of Great Britain and Ireland on 2015-05-18. (http://www.conchsoc.net/spaccount/Berthella-plumula).
    Urgorri, V., and C. Besteiro. 1983. Inventario de los moluscos Opistobranquios de Galicia. Investigación Pesquera 47 (1): 3-28.
    WoRMS Editorial Board. 2023. World Register of Marine Species. WoRMS. (http://www.marinespecies.org).

    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

Cite this article as:

Ballesteros, M., Madrenas, E. & Pontes, M. (2023) "Berthella plumula" in OPK-Opistobranquis. Published: 15/05/2012. Accessed: 02/12/2023. Available at (https://opistobranquis.info/en/?p=394)

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