Oxynoe olivacea

Oxynoe olivacea is a species of small green bubble snail or sea slug, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Oxynoidae.

Oxynoe olivacea
view from bottom to Oxynoe olivacea
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Mollusca
Class:
Gastropoda
(unranked):
clade Heterobranchia
Informal group Opisthobranchia
clade Sacoglossa
clade Oxynoacea
Superfamily:
Oxynooidea
Family:
Oxynoidae
Genus:
Oxynoe
Species:
O. olivacea
Binomial name
Oxynoe olivacea
Rafinesque, 1814 or 1819

Despite a superficial resemblance, this is not a nudibranch, it is a sacoglossan, and like other Oxynoe species, it has a small, fragile, bubble-shaped shell.

Distribution

This species is found in the Mediterranean Sea. The type locality for this species is Sicily, Italy.[1]

Description

Body is elongated, swollen in front of the middle, with the tail long and narrow, pleuropodial lobes partly covering the shell, the line of their junction forming a crest or ridge the entire length of the tail. Upper side of tentacles and outer surface of pleuropodia and tail papillose. Color above clear green, the borders of the foot and pleuropodial lobes, and ends of the tentacles margined with alternating spots of pale red and blue-black. The sole is yellowish.[2]

The shell is external, thin, fragile, pellucid and shining, convolute and globose. The shell is truncate and slightly contracted at summit, rounded and dilated at base. The last whorl is very large, completely detached from the spire by the deeply incised sutural slit. The aperture is very large, angled above, rounded below. The lip is arcuate, simple and acute. The columellar margin is with a very thin film of callus above, concave below, acute, forming an open spiral through which the interior of the whorls may be seen from the base. Color is uniform glassy white, with a thin transparent and shining, very light yellow cuticle.[2]

The height of the shell is 12 mm. The width of the shell is 9 mm.[2]

Egg mass of Oxynoe olivacea

References

This article incorporates public domain text from the reference.[2]

  1. Jensen K. R. (November 2007). "Biogeography of the Sacoglossa (Mollusca, Opisthobranchia)" Archived 2013-10-05 at the Wayback Machine. Bonner zoologische Beiträge 55(2006)(3-4): 255–281.
  2. Pilsbry H. A. (1895-1896). Manual of Conchology. Volume 16. Philinidae, Gastropteridae, Aglajidae, Aplysiidae, Oxynoeidae, Runcinidae, Umbraculidae, Pleurobranchidae. page 162-163, Frontispiece, figure 17, plate 11, figure 43, 44, 46-50, 58-62.

Further reading
  • Bogi C., Coppini M. & Margelli A. (1984). "Contribution to the knowledge of North Tyrrhenean Malacofauna". La Conchiglia 186-7: 3-7.
  • Thibaut T. & Meinesz A. (May 2000). "Are the Mediterranean ascoglossan molluscs Oxynoe olivacea and Lobiger serradifalci suitable agents for a biological control against the invading tropical alga Caulerpa taxifolia? Les mollusques ascoglosses de Méditerranée Oxynoe olivacea et Lobiger serradifalci peuvent-ils être utilisés comme agents de lutte biologique contre l’algue tropicale envahissante Caulerpa taxifolia ?". Comptes Rendus de l’Académie des Sciences - Series III - Sciences de la Vie 323(5): 477-488. doi:10.1016/S0764-4469(00)00151-7
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