Tritonia plebeia

Tritonia plebeia, common name the European nudibranch, is a species of sea slug, a nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Tritoniidae.

Tritonia plebeia
A live individual of Tritonia plebeia in situ on the soft coral, Lophogorgia ceratophyta
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Mollusca
Class:
Gastropoda
(unranked):
clade Heterobranchia
clade Euthyneura
clade Nudipleura
clade Nudibranchia
clade Dexiarchia
clade Cladobranchia
clade Dendronotida
Superfamily:
Tritonioidea
Family:
Tritoniidae
Genus:
Tritonia
Species:
T. plebeia
Binomial name
Tritonia plebeia
Synonyms
  • Candiella plebeia (Johnston, 1828)
  • Tritonia pulchra Johnston, 1828
  • Sphaerostoma aurantiacum Barnard, 1927

Description

The color is primarily yellow, with brown mottling. The length of this nudibranch is up to 30 mm.[2]

Distribution

The indigenous distribution of Tritonia plebeia is the Northeastern Atlantic Ocean from Norway to Portugal.[2]

The species has been introduced in coastal areas of Maine and Massachusetts, probably in ballast water from ships.[2]

Ecology

Habitat

This is a marine species.[2]

Feeding habits

Although this species was introduced in the Gulf of Maine only during the mid-1980s, it has had a severe impact on the soft coral, Alcyoniuum siderium.[2]

References

This article incorporates public domain text (a public domain work of the United States Government) from reference.[2]

  1. Johnston G. (1828). "A few remarks on the class Mollusca, in Dr. Fleming's work on British Animals; with descriptions of some new species by George Johnston, M.D. Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. Edinburgh New Philos. Journ." 5: 74-81.
  2. Amy Benson. 2008. Tritonia plebeia. USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, FL. <https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.asp?speciesID=1149> Revision Date: 4/23/2004.
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