Glaucus marginatus

Glaucus marginatus is a species of small, floating, blue sea slug; a pelagic aeolid nudibranch; a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusc in the family Glaucidae.[1][2] This species is closely related to Glaucus atlanticus, and is part of a species complex (Informal clade Marginatus) along with Glaucus bennettae, Glaucus thompsoni, and Glaucus mcfarlanei.[3]

Glaucus marginatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Mollusca
Class:
Gastropoda
(unranked):
clade Heterobranchia
clade Euthyneura
clade Nudipleura
clade Nudibranchia
clade Dexiarchia
clade Cladobranchia
clade Aeolidida
Superfamily:
Aeolidioidea
Family:
Glaucidae
Genus:
Glaucus
Species:
G. marginatus
Binomial name
Glaucus marginatus
(Reinhardt & Bergh, 1864)
Synonyms[1]
  • Glaucilla briarea (Reinhardt & Bergh, 1864)
  • Glaucilla marginata (Reinhardt & Bergh, 1864) (original combination)

Distribution

This species is pelagic, and can be found in the Pacific Ocean.

Habitat

These small nudibranchs float upside down on the surface tension in temperate and tropical seas. They eat colonial cnidarians such as the Portuguese man o' war.[2]

References
  1. "Glaucus". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  2. Valdés A. & Campillo O.A. (2004) Systematics of pelagic aeolid nudibranchs of the family Glaucidae (Mollusca, Gastropoda). Bulletin of Marine Science 75(3): 381–389.
  3. Churchill C.K.C, Valdés A. & Ó Foighil D. (2014) Molecular and morphological systematics of neustonic nudibranchs (Mollusca : Gastropoda : Glaucidae : Glaucus), with descriptions of three new cryptic species. Invertebrate Systematics 28(2): 174-195.

Description

This nudibranch is dark blue, and in many ways it resembles a smaller version of Glaucus atlanticus. However, in this species the cerata are arranged in a single row in each arch.

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