Tethys fimbria
| Tethys fimbria | |
|---|---|
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| Tethys fimbria on the sand bottom shows its broad oral hood on the left (the head end) and the body with two rows of spotted cerata | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| (unranked): | clade Heterobranchia
clade Euthyneura clade Nudipleura clade Nudibranchia clade Dexiarchia clade Cladobranchia clade Dendronotida |
| Superfamily: | |
| Family: | |
| Genus: | |
| Species: | T. fimbria
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| Binomial name | |
| Tethys fimbria | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
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Tethys leporina Linnaeus, 1758 | |
Tethys fimbria is a species of predatory sea slug, a nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Tethydidae.
ICZN opinion 200 ruled that Tethys fimbria is a valid name and Tethys leporina Linnaeus, 1758 is a synonym.[2]
Distribution
[edit]The distribution of Tethys fimbria includes the Mediterranean Sea and the east coast of the Atlantic Ocean from Portugal in the north, to the Gulf of Guinea in the south.[3]
Description
[edit]The length of the body of Tethys fimbria can reach up to 30 cm (12 in).[3] Tethys fimbria is translucent, but it has dark spots on its cerata.[3] It has a broad oral hood in the frontal part of its body.[3] Rhinophores are small.[3] Tethys fimbria has no radula as is the case in all members of the family Tethydidae.[3]
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Ecology
[edit]
The habitat of Tethys fimbria is seas which have sand or mud on the bottom, in depths from 20 to 150 m.[3]
Tethys fimbria captures and feeds on small crustaceans.[3] It uses its broad hood for catching them.[3]
The cerata can be self-amputated (autotomy) as a defence mechanism when the slug is in danger.[3]
Within the mantle large amounts of prostaglandins are produced.[4] Subsequently the prostoglandins are moved to the cerata.[4] The biosynthesis of prostgandins has been studied by Marzo et al. (1991).[4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Linnaeus C. (1758). Systema Naturae, ed. 10, 653; 1767, ed. 12, page 1089.
- ^ a b "Tethys fimbria Linné 1767 ". CLEMAM, accessed 29 December 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rudman W. B. (14 October 2002) "Tethys fimbria Linnaeus, 1767 ". Sea Slug Forum, accessed 29 December 2010.
- ^ a b c Di Marzo, V.; Cimino, G.; Crispino, A.; Minardi, C.; Sodano, G.; Spinella, A. (1991). "A novel multifunctional metabolic pathway in a marine mollusc leads to unprecedented prostaglandin derivatives (prostaglandin 1,15-lactones)". The Biochemical Journal. 273 (Pt 3): 593–600. doi:10.1042/bj2730593. PMC 1149804. PMID 1899996.
Further reading
[edit]- Cattaneo-Vietti R., Chemello R., Giannuzzi-Savelli R. (1990). Atlas of Mediterranean Nudibranchs. La Conchiglia, Rome. 264 pp.
- Cimino, G.; Crispino, A.; Di Marzo, V.; Spinella, A.; Sodano, G. (1992). "Prostaglandin F-1,15-lactone fatty acyl esters: a prostaglandin lactone pathway branch developed during the reproduction and early larval stages of a marine mollusc". Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology B. 101 (1–2): 99–104. doi:10.1016/0305-0491(92)90164-M.
- Odhner N. H. (1936). "Nudibranchia Dendronotacea - A revision of the system". Memoires du Musee Royal d'Histoire Naturelle de Belgique, series 2, fasc. 3: 1057-1128. (Pl. 1)
- (in German) Schmekel L. & Portmann A. (1982). Opisthobranchia des Mittelmeeres. Nudibranchia und Saccoglossa. Springer-Verlag, Berlin. 410 pp., 36 plates.
External links
[edit]
- "Tethys fimbria - Linnaeus, 1767". Marenostrum.org. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
- "Tethys fimbria - DORIS". Doris.ffessm.fr. Retrieved 30 June 2018.