Hermaea variopicta

Hermaea variopicta (Costa, 1869)

Hermaea variopicta @ L'Escala by Enric Madrenas

Taxonomy
 

Superdomain

Biota  

 

Kingdom

Animalia  

 

Phylum

Mollusca  

 

Class

Gastropoda  

 

Subclass

Heterobranchia  

 

Infraclass

Euthyneura  

 

Subterclass

Tectipleura  

 

Superorder

Sacoglossa  

 

Superfamily

Plakobranchoidea  

 

Family

Hermaeidae  

 

Genus

Hermaea  

 

Species

Hermaea variopicta  (A. Costa, 1869)

 
 Classification according to Bouchet et al. (2017)
Taxonomic source: World Register of Marine Species (AphiaID: 140095).
Synonyms

  • Hermaea polychroma Hesse, 1872
  • Hermaeopsis variopicta Costa A., 1869 (original)

Description
Specimens of this species usually measure between 10 and 15 mm in length but there are reports with a maximum size of 30-40 mm. This is a visually striking species because of its colour: a purple-violet body, more or less dark deppending of the animals. There are many orange, yellow and white elongated spots distributed along the head, rhinophores, back of the body and cerata. These different colour spots are combined in a very complex way with the purple body colour on the head zone, in front of and behind the rhinophores. The rhinophores are auriculate, wider in its middle section and with pointed tips; the dorsal side of each rhinophore features a yellowish-white strip pigmented band emerging from the head. The eyes are very visible at the end of a white area, somewhat behind the base of the rhinophores. Pericardial area, located between the first cerata, is visible because it is pigmented as an “ocellus” (fake eye): a white oval spot encircled by a purple band and externally bordered by an orange band. The cerata are rather flattened, broad in its middle section and with a pointed tip, having the ability to greatly expand, acquiring a rounded shape, and contract; they are coloured as the body but with orange pigmented tips and an opaque white leading edge. The larger cerata are the internal, decreasing their size outwards. The anus is located right ahead of the cardiac area. The foot is white and its front area is widened and rounded.

Biology
Because this is a relatively scarce species, few details of its biology are known. It is usually found among rhodophycean algae where, because of its cryptic coloration, often goes unnoticed. It has been cited living and feeding among the following species of algae: Halurus equisetifolius (B. Picton), Solieria chordalis and Plocamium cartilagineum (H. Limouzin). Its spawn is formed by a transparent ribbon 2-3 mm in diameter, sometimes spirally wound, with white eggs.

Etymology

  • Hermaea. Derived from Hermes, a character from Greek mythology.
  • Variopicta. From Latin “vario-“, fluctuate, change, variegate, vary, waver, mark with contrasting colors + “picta”, colored, decorated, painted.

Distribution
This is an European species that has been cited in the Atlantic coasts of the British Isles and France, Morocco and the Western Mediterranean. In the Iberian Peninsula it has been observed in all both Atlantic and Mediterranean coastal areas (Cervera et al, 2004), also in the Balearic and Canary Islands. In the Catalan coast it has been cited in Es Caials, L’Escala, Tossa de Mar and Blanes.

Known georeferenced records of the species: Hermaea variopicta
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 Hermaea variopicta based on our own records.

Videos

 

More pictures

Bibliography

    Ballesteros M, Templado J. 1996. Opistobranquios de las islas Baleares y de las Columbretes In: Libro de Résumenes XI Congresso Nacional de Malacología. D. Moreno (ed.): 40-41. Sociedad Española de Malacología. Almería, Spain.
    Ballesteros M, Pontes M, Madrenas E. 2015. Opisthobranch from Medes Islands (Marine Protected Area, Costa Brava, Catalonia, NE Spain): 40 years of study. Available from https://www.facebook.com/people/5th-International-Workshop-on-Opisthobranchs/100072425991990/.
    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/.
    Bielecki S, Cavignaux G, Crouzet JM, et al. 2011. Des limaces de rêve.
    Calado G, Urgorri V, Gaspar R, et al. 1999. Catálogo de los moluscos opistobranquios bentónicos de las costas de Setúbal-Espichel (Portugal). Nova Acta Científica Compostelana (Bioloxía) 9: 285-294.
    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.
    Costa A. 1866. Saggio sui molluschi eolididei del Golfo di Napoli. Annuario del Museo Zoologico della Reale Università di Napoli, (1863) 3: 59-90, pl. 1-3 [1866]; (1864) 4: 26-37, pl. 1-2 [1867]; (1865) 5: 46-53, pl. 2 [1869].
    Furfaro G, Vitale F, Licchelli C, et al. 2020. Two Seas for One Great Diversity: Checklist of the Marine Heterobranchia (Mollusca; Gastropoda) from the Salento Peninsula (South-East Italy). Diversity. 12(12):171.
    García Raso JE, Luque AA, Templado J, et al. 1992. Fauna y Flora marinas del Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata-Nijar. 1a 9/1992. Madrid: Luque del Villar, Ángel Antonio. 288 p.
    García-Gómez JC. 1987. Adiciones a la fauna de Opistobranquios del Estrecho de Gibraltar (sur de España), I. Iberus 7 (2): 197-209.
    Gascoigne T. 1979. Observations On The Anatomy Of Hermaea variopicta Opisthobranchia Ascoglossa. J Zool (Lond) 187 (2). 1979. 223-234.
    Long SJ. 2006. Bibliography of Opisthobranchia 1554-2000. Bayside Books & Press, Tustin, CA, U.S.A. 672p.
    Martínez-Cueto E, Rodríguez G, Rodríguez MJ, et al. 1990. Contribución al conocimiento de los opistobranquios del Norte y Noroeste de España. Boletín de Ciencias de la Naturaleza del Instituto de Estudios Asturianos. 40:89–101. Available from https://bibliotecavirtual.asturias.es/i18n/catalogo_imagenes/imagen.cmd?path=4006525.
    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.
    Moro L, Martín Esquivel JL, Garrido Sanahuja MJ, et al. 2003. Lista de especies marinas de Canarias (algas, hongos, plantas y animales). Consejería de Política Territorial y Medio Ambiente del Gobierno de Canarias. 248 p.
    Ortea J. 1977b. Contribución a la actualización de la fauna de Opistobranquios ibéricos; Sacoglosos. Boletín de la estación Central de Ecología 6 (11): 75-91.
    Ortea J, L. Moro JJB, Espinosa J. 1998. Catálogo abreviado de las especies del orden Sacoglossa (= Ascoglossa, Mollusca: Opisthobranchia) de las Islas Canarias y de Cabo Verde. Revista de la Academia Canaria de Ciencias 10 (4): 85-96.
    Ortea JA, Moro L, Bacallado JJ, et al. 2001. Catálogo actualizado de los Moluscos Opistobranquios de las Islas Canarias. Revista de la Academia Canaria de Ciencias. 12(3–4):105–136.
    Riedl R. 1983. Fauna und Flora der Mittelmeeres, ein systematischer Meeresfuhrer fur Biologen und Naturfreunde, 836 pp. Paul Parey, Hamburg & Berlin.
    Rudman W.B. et al. 1998 2010. Hermaea variopicta accessed through: Sea Slug Forum on 2014-12-14. Available from http://seaslugforum.net/showall/hermvari.
    Rufray X, Girard P, Le Bris S, et al. 2021. Liste commentée des limaces de mer de la lagune de Thau, Hérault. Les cahiers de la fondation Biotope. 36:1–189. Available from https://www.biotope.fr/download/230907/.
    Templado J, Talavera P, Murillo L. 1987. Adiciones a la fauna de opistobranquios del Cabo de Palos (Murcia) II. Anales de Biología 11 (Biología Animal 3): 91-98.
    Templado J, Luque AA, Moreno D. 1988. Nuevas aportaciones al conocimiento de los opistobranquios del sureste español. Iberus 8 (1): 15-23.
    Trainito E, Doneddu M. 2014. Nudibranchi del Mediterraneo. 2nd. Il Castello. 192 p.
    Trainito E, Trainito S. 2003. Mediterranean harlequins : a field guide to Mediterranean sea slugs. Olbia (SS), Italia: Taphros.
    Urgorri V, Besteiro C. 1983. Inventario de los moluscos Opistobranquios de Galicia. Investigación Pesquera 47 (1): 3-28.
    Urgorri V, Diaz-Agras G, Besteiro C, et al. 2011. Additions to the inventory of Mollusca Opisthobranchia of Galicia (NW Iberian Peninsula). Thalassas. 27(2):77–100. Available from ://WOS:000291629300006.
    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) "Hermaea variopicta" in OPK-Opistobranquis. Published: 14/05/2012. Accessed: 19/03/2024. Available at (https://opistobranquis.info/en/?p=268)

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