Catriona aurantia

Catriona aurantia
The nudibranch Catriona aurantia, Gulen Dive Resort, Norway.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
(unranked): clade Heterobranchia
clade Euthyneura
clade Nudipleura
clade Nudibranchia
clade Dexiarchia
clade Cladobranchia
clade Aeolidida
Superfamily: Fionoidea
Family: Trinchesiidae
Genus: Catriona
Species: C. aurantia
Binomial name
Catriona aurantia
Synonyms
  • Eolis aurantia Alder & Hancock, 1842
  • Aeolis bellula Lovén, 1846
  • Eolis aurantiaca Alder & Hancock, 1851
  • Catriona aurantia (Alder & Hancock, 1842)
  • Catriona gymnota (Couthouy, 1838)
  • Cratena gymnota (Couthouy, 1838)
  • Cuthona gymnota (Couthouy, 1838)

Catriona aurantia is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Trinchesiidae.[1] It was incorrectly synonymised with Catriona gymnota from the Western Atlantic but shown to be a distinct species by DNA analysis.[2]

Distribution

This species was described from Whitley, on the North Sea coast of England.[3]

Description

This species has a translucent white body and slightly swollen cerata. The digestive gland is orange pink in colour and the tips of the cerata have a broad white band of tiny epidermal glands. In larger specimens the rhinophores develop a pale orange suffusion. The foot is broad and rounded anteriorly. Large individuals may exceed 20 mm in length.[4]

Habitat

Feeds on the hydroid Tubularia larynx. Individuals are thought to feed by eating through the stems of the hydroid rather than on the polyps. Usually found in exposed places, in strong tidal streams, and in shallow water, from 0 m to 20 m depth. The spawn consists of lozenge-shaped packets of eggs.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Picton, B.; Rosenberg, G. (2017). Catriona aurantia (Alder & Hancock, 1842). In: MolluscaBase (2017). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2017-11-02.
  2. ↑ Korshunova, T.; Martynov, A.; Picton, B. (2017). Ontogeny as an important part of integrative taxonomy in tergipedid aeolidaceans (Gastropoda: Nudibranchia) with a description of a new genus and species from the Barents Sea. Zootaxa. 4324(1): 1.
  3. ↑ Alder J. & Hancock A. (1842). Descriptions of several new species of nudibranchous mollusca found on the coast of Northumberland. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 9: 31-36.
  4. 1 2 Picton, B.E. & Morrow, C.C. (2016). Catriona aurantia (Alder & Hancock, 1842). [In] Encyclopedia of Marine Life of Britain and Ireland. Accessed on 2016-12-25.
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