Elysia fezi

Elysia fezi  Vilella, 1968

Elysia fezi according to the Vilella´s description by Pontes, Miquel

Taxonomy
 

Superdomain

Biota  

 

Kingdom

Animalia  

 

Phylum

Mollusca  

 

Class

Gastropoda  

 

Subclass

Heterobranchia  

 

Infraclass

Euthyneura  

 

Subterclass

Tectipleura  

 

Superorder

Sacoglossa  

 

Superfamily

Plakobranchoidea  

 

Family

Plakobranchidae  

 

Genus

Elysia  

 

Species

Elysia fezi  Vilella, 1968

 
 Classification according to Bouchet et al. (2017)
Taxonomic source: World Register of Marine Species (AphiaID: 494444).
Taxonomic note: Elysia fezi  Vilella, 1968 is considered taxon inquirendum at WoRMS (2016), because it has not been collected nor observed since the original description. The big size (44 mm of length) of the biggest specimen studied by Vilella (1968) and other anatomical and coloration details allow to think this is a taxonomically valid species but, despite the type location (Cubelles, Barcelona, Spain) has been sampled for decades, no other specimens have been found.

Description
This species is characterized by an elongated body, with a maximum length of about 44mm. The cephalic end and the rear end are obtuse, the last one slightly narrower. In the middle of the cephalic region are the eyes, that appear surrounded by a turquoise ring; body coloration is bright green, while the dorsum and the base of the foot, which is very narrow, are white. The rhinophores are auriculate, thick, with a truncated apex, and about 6 mm in length. Parapodia originate at about 11 mm. from the mouth, are wider at the origin and extend gently to the rear end of the foot; the inner edge of the parapodia presents a thin green line, while the outer edge has a series of spots coloured dark green, almost black, and arranged irregularly. The genital openings are on the right side of the body, behind the head, separated from each other, the male orifice closer to the front end.

Biology
The specimens used to describe this species were found living among seaweed Ulva lactuca, Cladophora proliferaEnteromorpha linza, where the are perfectly camouflaged, in very shallow water (less than 1 meter). No details are known about their reproduction.

Etymology

  • Elysia. It is a girl’s name of Latin origin, derived from the word Elysium, which in mythology is the home of the blessed, known as the “Elysian fields”. The name Elysia also means “God’s oath” in Hebrew. Frieder Sauer comments that Elysia means heavenly.
  • Fezi. Dedicated to the late Dr. Siro de Fez Sánchez (1887-1967) Spanish malacologyst living in Valencia, author of one of the first works about saccoglossans and nudibrachs of the Iberian shores.

Distribution
Its distribution range is unknown. The type specimen was found on the beach in Cubelles (Barcelona, Spain).

Known georeferenced records of the species: Elysia fezi
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 Elysia fezi based on our own records.

More pictures

Bibliography

    Ballesteros M. 2007. Lista actualizada de los opistobranquios (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia) de las costas catalanas. Spira. 2(3):163–188.
    Ballesteros M, Madrenas E, Pontes M. 2016. Actualización del catálogo de los moluscos opistobranquios (Gastropoda: Heterobranchia) de las costas catalanas. Spira. 6:1–28.
    Ballesteros M, Madrenas E, Pontes M. 2023. OPK - Opistobranquis. Available from https://opistobranquis.info/.
    Cervera JL, Calado G, Gavaia C, et al. 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.
    Jensen KR. 2007. Biogeography of the Sacoglossa (Mollusca, Opisthobranchia). Bonner Zoologische Beiträge 55:255–281.
    Long SJ. 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. Available from http://escholarship.org/uc/item/8115h0wz.
    Templado J, Villanueva R. 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, Doneddu M. 2014. Nudibranchi del Mediterraneo. 2nd. Il Castello. 192 p.
    Vilella M. 1968. Una nueva Elysia del Mediterráneo español: Elysia fezi (nov sp). Miscelanea Zoologica 2 (3): 29-32.
    WoRMS Editorial Board. 2023. World Register of Marine Species. WoRMS. Available from 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) "Elysia fezi" in OPK-Opistobranquis. Published: 24/11/2015. Accessed: 19/03/2024. Available at (https://opistobranquis.info/en/?p=20480)

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