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<\/div>Piseinotecus sphaeriferus @ Granada July 2026<\/em> by Luis S\u00e1nchez-Tocino<\/center><\/span><\/p>WoRMS Taxonomic Information<\/h3>Current accepted name: Piseinotecus sphaeriferus<\/em> (Schmekel, 1965)<\/strong><\/div>Current classification<\/h4>Superdomain<\/th>Biota<\/a><\/td><\/tr>Kingdom<\/th>Animalia<\/a><\/td><\/tr>Phylum<\/th>Mollusca<\/a><\/td><\/tr>Class<\/th>Gastropoda<\/a><\/td><\/tr>Subclass<\/th>Heterobranchia<\/a><\/td><\/tr>Infraclass<\/th>Euthyneura<\/a><\/td><\/tr>Subterclass<\/th>Ringipleura<\/a><\/td><\/tr>Superorder<\/th>Nudipleura<\/a><\/td><\/tr>Order<\/th>Nudibranchia<\/a><\/td><\/tr>Suborder<\/th>Aeolidina<\/a><\/td><\/tr>Superfamily<\/th>Fionoidea<\/a><\/td><\/tr>Family<\/th>Piseinotecidae<\/a><\/td><\/tr>Genus<\/th>Piseinotecus<\/em><\/a><\/td><\/tr>Species<\/th>Piseinotecus sphaeriferus<\/em> (Schmekel, 1965)<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/table>Classification provided by the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). [140785<\/a>]<\/p><\/div>Synonyms<\/strong><\/p>\n\nCalmella sphaerifera<\/i> Schmekel, 1965<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nDescription\n<\/strong>This is a small aeolidacean that rarely exceeds 5-6 mm in length. His body is thin, semitransparent, at times with a yellow or pink shade. Oral tentacles are relatively short compared to the rhinophores, which are very\u00a0long, thin and smooth. The oral tentacles and rhinophores are semitransparent like the body, but with numerous thick white scores. These white scores are also present along\u00a0the back. There are 4-5 groups of cerata on each side of the body. The cerata\u00a0from each group come from a common stalk or base. The cerata\u00a0are thin and long, with somewhat sharpened tips\u00a0and the soft brown digestive gland visible by transparency; at the end of cerata there is a clearly visible\u00a0cnidosac. At the base of each cerata there\u00a0is usually a greenish spherical structure that Schmekel (1965) attributed to a glandular portion of the hepatic diverticulum located\u00a0inside each cerata. Sometimes this green sphere, which this species is named for, is not visible, which could\u00a0be related to feeding. The foot is narrow and has two short propodials palps at its front. The tail is long and narrow, it is semi-transparent and its\u00a0margin is usually pigmented opaque white.<\/p>\nBiology\n<\/strong>This small aeolidacean lives among colonies of epibiont\u00a0hydroids that grow on different species of algae and seagrass (Ulva, Cymodocea, Posidonia oceanica<\/em>). Mavric et al. (2012) found it in the Adriatic Sea between scyphopolyps of Aurelia aurita<\/em>. Schmekel (1965) indicates that it feeds hydrozoan polyps of the genus Obelia<\/em>. The spawn is a coiled narrow ribbon\u00a0with white eggs of about 45 microns in diameter.<\/p>\nEtymology<\/strong><\/p>\n\nPiseinotecus<\/em>\u00a0means \u201cI stepped on Teco.\u201d Teco was a dog belonging to Ernst and Eveline\u00a0Marcus. Apparently Prof. Diva Diniz Corr\u00eaa, friend of the family, unadvertedly stepped on the dog and while the Marcuses were looking for a new generic name she said\u00a0in Portuguese: \u201cPisei\u201d=I stteped, \u201cno\u201d=onto, \u201cTecus\u201d=the dog\u2019s name. Later on that name became also a family name: Piseinotecidae (ref:Curious Taxonomy<\/a>\u00a0and Marcus, Ev. 1987<\/a>).<\/li>\nSphaeriferus<\/em>. From\u00a0Latin “Sphaera”, ball, sphere, globe, orb + “fera”, to carry, to transport, probably in reference to the peculiar\u00a0emerald green “balls” located\u00a0at the base of the cerata.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nDistribution\n<\/strong>This little-known species has only been recorded so far in the islands of Nisida and Procida (type localities for this species) in the Gulf of Naples, in the Canary Islands (Ortea et al. 2003), Ghana (Edmunds, 1977 ), on the Adriatic coast of Slovenia (Mavric et al. 2012) and in Catalonia (Spain). There is a recent report in the Catalan coast, at Punta del Roman\u00ed (L’Escala, Costa Brava) (GROC, 2014), and there is also an ancient unpublished observation at Cala Canyelles (Ballesteros, pers.obs. 1981). Luis S\u00e1nchez Tocino reported this species from the coast of Granada in July 2026. <\/div>\n
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Classification provided by the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). [140785<\/a>]<\/p><\/div>Synonyms<\/strong><\/p>\n\nCalmella sphaerifera<\/i> Schmekel, 1965<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nDescription\n<\/strong>This is a small aeolidacean that rarely exceeds 5-6 mm in length. His body is thin, semitransparent, at times with a yellow or pink shade. Oral tentacles are relatively short compared to the rhinophores, which are very\u00a0long, thin and smooth. The oral tentacles and rhinophores are semitransparent like the body, but with numerous thick white scores. These white scores are also present along\u00a0the back. There are 4-5 groups of cerata on each side of the body. The cerata\u00a0from each group come from a common stalk or base. The cerata\u00a0are thin and long, with somewhat sharpened tips\u00a0and the soft brown digestive gland visible by transparency; at the end of cerata there is a clearly visible\u00a0cnidosac. At the base of each cerata there\u00a0is usually a greenish spherical structure that Schmekel (1965) attributed to a glandular portion of the hepatic diverticulum located\u00a0inside each cerata. Sometimes this green sphere, which this species is named for, is not visible, which could\u00a0be related to feeding. The foot is narrow and has two short propodials palps at its front. The tail is long and narrow, it is semi-transparent and its\u00a0margin is usually pigmented opaque white.<\/p>\nBiology\n<\/strong>This small aeolidacean lives among colonies of epibiont\u00a0hydroids that grow on different species of algae and seagrass (Ulva, Cymodocea, Posidonia oceanica<\/em>). Mavric et al. (2012) found it in the Adriatic Sea between scyphopolyps of Aurelia aurita<\/em>. Schmekel (1965) indicates that it feeds hydrozoan polyps of the genus Obelia<\/em>. The spawn is a coiled narrow ribbon\u00a0with white eggs of about 45 microns in diameter.<\/p>\nEtymology<\/strong><\/p>\n\nPiseinotecus<\/em>\u00a0means \u201cI stepped on Teco.\u201d Teco was a dog belonging to Ernst and Eveline\u00a0Marcus. Apparently Prof. Diva Diniz Corr\u00eaa, friend of the family, unadvertedly stepped on the dog and while the Marcuses were looking for a new generic name she said\u00a0in Portuguese: \u201cPisei\u201d=I stteped, \u201cno\u201d=onto, \u201cTecus\u201d=the dog\u2019s name. Later on that name became also a family name: Piseinotecidae (ref:Curious Taxonomy<\/a>\u00a0and Marcus, Ev. 1987<\/a>).<\/li>\nSphaeriferus<\/em>. From\u00a0Latin “Sphaera”, ball, sphere, globe, orb + “fera”, to carry, to transport, probably in reference to the peculiar\u00a0emerald green “balls” located\u00a0at the base of the cerata.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nDistribution\n<\/strong>This little-known species has only been recorded so far in the islands of Nisida and Procida (type localities for this species) in the Gulf of Naples, in the Canary Islands (Ortea et al. 2003), Ghana (Edmunds, 1977 ), on the Adriatic coast of Slovenia (Mavric et al. 2012) and in Catalonia (Spain). There is a recent report in the Catalan coast, at Punta del Roman\u00ed (L’Escala, Costa Brava) (GROC, 2014), and there is also an ancient unpublished observation at Cala Canyelles (Ballesteros, pers.obs. 1981). Luis S\u00e1nchez Tocino reported this species from the coast of Granada in July 2026. <\/div>\n
Description\n<\/strong>This is a small aeolidacean that rarely exceeds 5-6 mm in length. His body is thin, semitransparent, at times with a yellow or pink shade. Oral tentacles are relatively short compared to the rhinophores, which are very\u00a0long, thin and smooth. The oral tentacles and rhinophores are semitransparent like the body, but with numerous thick white scores. These white scores are also present along\u00a0the back. There are 4-5 groups of cerata on each side of the body. The cerata\u00a0from each group come from a common stalk or base. The cerata\u00a0are thin and long, with somewhat sharpened tips\u00a0and the soft brown digestive gland visible by transparency; at the end of cerata there is a clearly visible\u00a0cnidosac. At the base of each cerata there\u00a0is usually a greenish spherical structure that Schmekel (1965) attributed to a glandular portion of the hepatic diverticulum located\u00a0inside each cerata. Sometimes this green sphere, which this species is named for, is not visible, which could\u00a0be related to feeding. The foot is narrow and has two short propodials palps at its front. The tail is long and narrow, it is semi-transparent and its\u00a0margin is usually pigmented opaque white.<\/p>\nBiology\n<\/strong>This small aeolidacean lives among colonies of epibiont\u00a0hydroids that grow on different species of algae and seagrass (Ulva, Cymodocea, Posidonia oceanica<\/em>). Mavric et al. (2012) found it in the Adriatic Sea between scyphopolyps of Aurelia aurita<\/em>. Schmekel (1965) indicates that it feeds hydrozoan polyps of the genus Obelia<\/em>. The spawn is a coiled narrow ribbon\u00a0with white eggs of about 45 microns in diameter.<\/p>\nEtymology<\/strong><\/p>\n\nPiseinotecus<\/em>\u00a0means \u201cI stepped on Teco.\u201d Teco was a dog belonging to Ernst and Eveline\u00a0Marcus. Apparently Prof. Diva Diniz Corr\u00eaa, friend of the family, unadvertedly stepped on the dog and while the Marcuses were looking for a new generic name she said\u00a0in Portuguese: \u201cPisei\u201d=I stteped, \u201cno\u201d=onto, \u201cTecus\u201d=the dog\u2019s name. Later on that name became also a family name: Piseinotecidae (ref:Curious Taxonomy<\/a>\u00a0and Marcus, Ev. 1987<\/a>).<\/li>\nSphaeriferus<\/em>. From\u00a0Latin “Sphaera”, ball, sphere, globe, orb + “fera”, to carry, to transport, probably in reference to the peculiar\u00a0emerald green “balls” located\u00a0at the base of the cerata.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nDistribution\n<\/strong>This little-known species has only been recorded so far in the islands of Nisida and Procida (type localities for this species) in the Gulf of Naples, in the Canary Islands (Ortea et al. 2003), Ghana (Edmunds, 1977 ), on the Adriatic coast of Slovenia (Mavric et al. 2012) and in Catalonia (Spain). There is a recent report in the Catalan coast, at Punta del Roman\u00ed (L’Escala, Costa Brava) (GROC, 2014), and there is also an ancient unpublished observation at Cala Canyelles (Ballesteros, pers.obs. 1981). Luis S\u00e1nchez Tocino reported this species from the coast of Granada in July 2026. <\/div>\n
Biology\n<\/strong>This small aeolidacean lives among colonies of epibiont\u00a0hydroids that grow on different species of algae and seagrass (Ulva, Cymodocea, Posidonia oceanica<\/em>). Mavric et al. (2012) found it in the Adriatic Sea between scyphopolyps of Aurelia aurita<\/em>. Schmekel (1965) indicates that it feeds hydrozoan polyps of the genus Obelia<\/em>. The spawn is a coiled narrow ribbon\u00a0with white eggs of about 45 microns in diameter.<\/p>\nEtymology<\/strong><\/p>\n\nPiseinotecus<\/em>\u00a0means \u201cI stepped on Teco.\u201d Teco was a dog belonging to Ernst and Eveline\u00a0Marcus. Apparently Prof. Diva Diniz Corr\u00eaa, friend of the family, unadvertedly stepped on the dog and while the Marcuses were looking for a new generic name she said\u00a0in Portuguese: \u201cPisei\u201d=I stteped, \u201cno\u201d=onto, \u201cTecus\u201d=the dog\u2019s name. Later on that name became also a family name: Piseinotecidae (ref:Curious Taxonomy<\/a>\u00a0and Marcus, Ev. 1987<\/a>).<\/li>\nSphaeriferus<\/em>. From\u00a0Latin “Sphaera”, ball, sphere, globe, orb + “fera”, to carry, to transport, probably in reference to the peculiar\u00a0emerald green “balls” located\u00a0at the base of the cerata.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nDistribution\n<\/strong>This little-known species has only been recorded so far in the islands of Nisida and Procida (type localities for this species) in the Gulf of Naples, in the Canary Islands (Ortea et al. 2003), Ghana (Edmunds, 1977 ), on the Adriatic coast of Slovenia (Mavric et al. 2012) and in Catalonia (Spain). There is a recent report in the Catalan coast, at Punta del Roman\u00ed (L’Escala, Costa Brava) (GROC, 2014), and there is also an ancient unpublished observation at Cala Canyelles (Ballesteros, pers.obs. 1981). Luis S\u00e1nchez Tocino reported this species from the coast of Granada in July 2026. <\/div>\n
Etymology<\/strong><\/p>\n\nPiseinotecus<\/em>\u00a0means \u201cI stepped on Teco.\u201d Teco was a dog belonging to Ernst and Eveline\u00a0Marcus. Apparently Prof. Diva Diniz Corr\u00eaa, friend of the family, unadvertedly stepped on the dog and while the Marcuses were looking for a new generic name she said\u00a0in Portuguese: \u201cPisei\u201d=I stteped, \u201cno\u201d=onto, \u201cTecus\u201d=the dog\u2019s name. Later on that name became also a family name: Piseinotecidae (ref:Curious Taxonomy<\/a>\u00a0and Marcus, Ev. 1987<\/a>).<\/li>\nSphaeriferus<\/em>. From\u00a0Latin “Sphaera”, ball, sphere, globe, orb + “fera”, to carry, to transport, probably in reference to the peculiar\u00a0emerald green “balls” located\u00a0at the base of the cerata.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nDistribution\n<\/strong>This little-known species has only been recorded so far in the islands of Nisida and Procida (type localities for this species) in the Gulf of Naples, in the Canary Islands (Ortea et al. 2003), Ghana (Edmunds, 1977 ), on the Adriatic coast of Slovenia (Mavric et al. 2012) and in Catalonia (Spain). There is a recent report in the Catalan coast, at Punta del Roman\u00ed (L’Escala, Costa Brava) (GROC, 2014), and there is also an ancient unpublished observation at Cala Canyelles (Ballesteros, pers.obs. 1981). Luis S\u00e1nchez Tocino reported this species from the coast of Granada in July 2026. <\/div>\n
Distribution\n<\/strong>This little-known species has only been recorded so far in the islands of Nisida and Procida (type localities for this species) in the Gulf of Naples, in the Canary Islands (Ortea et al. 2003), Ghana (Edmunds, 1977 ), on the Adriatic coast of Slovenia (Mavric et al. 2012) and in Catalonia (Spain). There is a recent report in the Catalan coast, at Punta del Roman\u00ed (L’Escala, Costa Brava) (GROC, 2014), and there is also an ancient unpublished observation at Cala Canyelles (Ballesteros, pers.obs. 1981). Luis S\u00e1nchez Tocino reported this species from the coast of Granada in July 2026. <\/div>\n
![\"Piseinotecus](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/opistobranquis.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Piseinotecus-sphaeriferus-%40-Granada-by-Luis-Sanchez-Tocino.jpg?w=900&ssl=1\")
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