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<\/div>Favorinus ghanensis<\/em> by Tamsouri et al., (2014)<\/center><\/span><\/p>WoRMS Taxonomic Information<\/h3>Current accepted name: Favorinus ghanensis<\/em> Edmunds, 1968<\/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>Aeolidioidea<\/a><\/td><\/tr>Family<\/th>Facelinidae<\/a><\/td><\/tr>Genus<\/th>Favorinus<\/em><\/a><\/td><\/tr>Species<\/th>Favorinus ghanensis<\/em> Edmunds, 1968<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/table>Classification provided by the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). [181245<\/a>]<\/p><\/div>Taxonomic note: <\/strong>This aeolid nudibranch belongs to a genus characterized by cerata arranged in arches and rhinophores with distinctive swellings. F. ghanensis<\/em> stands out within the genus for possessing a minute penial stylet\u2014unusual among Favorinus<\/em>\u2014along with a consistent color pattern and body morphology that differentiate it from related species such as F. branchialis<\/em> and F. auritulus<\/em>.<\/p>\nDescription\n<\/strong>Specimens range from 1.5 mm to 16 mm in length. The body is slender and gradually tapers to a pointed tail. It is translucent greyish-white, adorned with scattered iridescent white dots across the dorsum, head, oral tentacles, and tail. The oral tentacles and anterior foot corners share the same base coloration. The rhinophores are purple-brown or maroon, with a clear white-spotted tip, and exhibit three small swellings or \u201cbulbs\u201d. These swellings may appear indistinct when the animal is fully extended. Cerata are long, evenly thick, and arranged in arches anteriorly and rows posteriorly. Their walls are translucent, revealing the internal digestive gland, which is coloured cream to brown with purple-brown blotches, giving the cerata a generally dark purplish-brown appearance. The tips of the cerata are translucent white, often with minute white glands and scattered iridescent white dots. Cerata are readily autotomized when the animal is disturbed or mishandled. The anus is cleioproctic and lies within the second ceratal arch on the right side, while the genital opening is nestled among the foremost right ceratal group.<\/p>\nBiology\n<\/strong>This species is primarily found in fouling communities, especially on boat hulls, fishing gear, and port structures. It feeds predominantly on the zooids of the bryozoan Amathia verticillata, a departure from the genus\u2019 norm, which is more commonly associated with egg masses of other sea slugs. Feeding behavior includes sucking contents from broken bryozoan tubes, and occasional consumption of sessile ciliates such as Vorticella<\/em> and Stentor<\/em>. Despite lacking visible cnidosacs or nematocyst discharge, F. ghanensis<\/em> is equipped with epidermal defensive glands in the cerata, and displays autotomy as a defensive response. Its small size and cryptic lifestyle may have led to underreporting, however, its affinity for artificial substrates and invasive bryozoans suggests a potential for further expansion via maritime traffic.<\/p>\nEtymology<\/strong><\/p>\n\nGhanensis<\/em>. From Ghana (West Africa).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nDistribution<\/strong>\nIts current known range includes eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean ports, often in habitats dominated by Amathia verticillata<\/em>. Originally described from Ghana (Tema Harbour) in 1968, it has been subsequently recorded at the Canary Islands (Gran Canaria, 1995), Tunisia (Lac de Tunis, 2003) and in the Atlantic coast of Morocco (Agadir, 2012). <\/div>\n
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Classification provided by the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). [181245<\/a>]<\/p><\/div>Taxonomic note: <\/strong>This aeolid nudibranch belongs to a genus characterized by cerata arranged in arches and rhinophores with distinctive swellings. F. ghanensis<\/em> stands out within the genus for possessing a minute penial stylet\u2014unusual among Favorinus<\/em>\u2014along with a consistent color pattern and body morphology that differentiate it from related species such as F. branchialis<\/em> and F. auritulus<\/em>.<\/p>\nDescription\n<\/strong>Specimens range from 1.5 mm to 16 mm in length. The body is slender and gradually tapers to a pointed tail. It is translucent greyish-white, adorned with scattered iridescent white dots across the dorsum, head, oral tentacles, and tail. The oral tentacles and anterior foot corners share the same base coloration. The rhinophores are purple-brown or maroon, with a clear white-spotted tip, and exhibit three small swellings or \u201cbulbs\u201d. These swellings may appear indistinct when the animal is fully extended. Cerata are long, evenly thick, and arranged in arches anteriorly and rows posteriorly. Their walls are translucent, revealing the internal digestive gland, which is coloured cream to brown with purple-brown blotches, giving the cerata a generally dark purplish-brown appearance. The tips of the cerata are translucent white, often with minute white glands and scattered iridescent white dots. Cerata are readily autotomized when the animal is disturbed or mishandled. The anus is cleioproctic and lies within the second ceratal arch on the right side, while the genital opening is nestled among the foremost right ceratal group.<\/p>\nBiology\n<\/strong>This species is primarily found in fouling communities, especially on boat hulls, fishing gear, and port structures. It feeds predominantly on the zooids of the bryozoan Amathia verticillata, a departure from the genus\u2019 norm, which is more commonly associated with egg masses of other sea slugs. Feeding behavior includes sucking contents from broken bryozoan tubes, and occasional consumption of sessile ciliates such as Vorticella<\/em> and Stentor<\/em>. Despite lacking visible cnidosacs or nematocyst discharge, F. ghanensis<\/em> is equipped with epidermal defensive glands in the cerata, and displays autotomy as a defensive response. Its small size and cryptic lifestyle may have led to underreporting, however, its affinity for artificial substrates and invasive bryozoans suggests a potential for further expansion via maritime traffic.<\/p>\nEtymology<\/strong><\/p>\n\nGhanensis<\/em>. From Ghana (West Africa).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nDistribution<\/strong>\nIts current known range includes eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean ports, often in habitats dominated by Amathia verticillata<\/em>. Originally described from Ghana (Tema Harbour) in 1968, it has been subsequently recorded at the Canary Islands (Gran Canaria, 1995), Tunisia (Lac de Tunis, 2003) and in the Atlantic coast of Morocco (Agadir, 2012). <\/div>\n
Description\n<\/strong>Specimens range from 1.5 mm to 16 mm in length. The body is slender and gradually tapers to a pointed tail. It is translucent greyish-white, adorned with scattered iridescent white dots across the dorsum, head, oral tentacles, and tail. The oral tentacles and anterior foot corners share the same base coloration. The rhinophores are purple-brown or maroon, with a clear white-spotted tip, and exhibit three small swellings or \u201cbulbs\u201d. These swellings may appear indistinct when the animal is fully extended. Cerata are long, evenly thick, and arranged in arches anteriorly and rows posteriorly. Their walls are translucent, revealing the internal digestive gland, which is coloured cream to brown with purple-brown blotches, giving the cerata a generally dark purplish-brown appearance. The tips of the cerata are translucent white, often with minute white glands and scattered iridescent white dots. Cerata are readily autotomized when the animal is disturbed or mishandled. The anus is cleioproctic and lies within the second ceratal arch on the right side, while the genital opening is nestled among the foremost right ceratal group.<\/p>\nBiology\n<\/strong>This species is primarily found in fouling communities, especially on boat hulls, fishing gear, and port structures. It feeds predominantly on the zooids of the bryozoan Amathia verticillata, a departure from the genus\u2019 norm, which is more commonly associated with egg masses of other sea slugs. Feeding behavior includes sucking contents from broken bryozoan tubes, and occasional consumption of sessile ciliates such as Vorticella<\/em> and Stentor<\/em>. Despite lacking visible cnidosacs or nematocyst discharge, F. ghanensis<\/em> is equipped with epidermal defensive glands in the cerata, and displays autotomy as a defensive response. Its small size and cryptic lifestyle may have led to underreporting, however, its affinity for artificial substrates and invasive bryozoans suggests a potential for further expansion via maritime traffic.<\/p>\nEtymology<\/strong><\/p>\n\nGhanensis<\/em>. From Ghana (West Africa).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nDistribution<\/strong>\nIts current known range includes eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean ports, often in habitats dominated by Amathia verticillata<\/em>. Originally described from Ghana (Tema Harbour) in 1968, it has been subsequently recorded at the Canary Islands (Gran Canaria, 1995), Tunisia (Lac de Tunis, 2003) and in the Atlantic coast of Morocco (Agadir, 2012). <\/div>\n
Biology\n<\/strong>This species is primarily found in fouling communities, especially on boat hulls, fishing gear, and port structures. It feeds predominantly on the zooids of the bryozoan Amathia verticillata, a departure from the genus\u2019 norm, which is more commonly associated with egg masses of other sea slugs. Feeding behavior includes sucking contents from broken bryozoan tubes, and occasional consumption of sessile ciliates such as Vorticella<\/em> and Stentor<\/em>. Despite lacking visible cnidosacs or nematocyst discharge, F. ghanensis<\/em> is equipped with epidermal defensive glands in the cerata, and displays autotomy as a defensive response. Its small size and cryptic lifestyle may have led to underreporting, however, its affinity for artificial substrates and invasive bryozoans suggests a potential for further expansion via maritime traffic.<\/p>\nEtymology<\/strong><\/p>\n\nGhanensis<\/em>. From Ghana (West Africa).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nDistribution<\/strong>\nIts current known range includes eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean ports, often in habitats dominated by Amathia verticillata<\/em>. Originally described from Ghana (Tema Harbour) in 1968, it has been subsequently recorded at the Canary Islands (Gran Canaria, 1995), Tunisia (Lac de Tunis, 2003) and in the Atlantic coast of Morocco (Agadir, 2012). <\/div>\n
Etymology<\/strong><\/p>\n\nGhanensis<\/em>. From Ghana (West Africa).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nDistribution<\/strong>\nIts current known range includes eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean ports, often in habitats dominated by Amathia verticillata<\/em>. Originally described from Ghana (Tema Harbour) in 1968, it has been subsequently recorded at the Canary Islands (Gran Canaria, 1995), Tunisia (Lac de Tunis, 2003) and in the Atlantic coast of Morocco (Agadir, 2012). <\/div>\n
Distribution<\/strong>\nIts current known range includes eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean ports, often in habitats dominated by Amathia verticillata<\/em>. Originally described from Ghana (Tema Harbour) in 1968, it has been subsequently recorded at the Canary Islands (Gran Canaria, 1995), Tunisia (Lac de Tunis, 2003) and in the Atlantic coast of Morocco (Agadir, 2012). <\/div>\n
![\"Favorinus](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/opistobranquis.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Favorinus-ghanensis-from-Tamsouri-et-al-2014.jpg?w=900&ssl=1\")
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