''Pleurobranchaea'' is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of
sea slug
Sea slug is a common name for some Marine biology, marine invertebrates with varying levels of resemblance to terrestrial Slug, slugs. Most creatures known as sea slugs are gastropods, i.e. they are Sea snail, sea snails (marine gastropod moll ...
s, specifically sidegill slugs or
notaspidea
Notaspidea, also known as the sidegill slugs, is an artificial grouping of sea slugs which is now split into two unrelated groups, the Umbraculida and the Pleurobranchomorpha.
Taxonomic history
Notaspidea, also known as the sidegill slugs, was a ...
ns. These are
marine gastropod
Gastropods (), commonly known as slugs and snails, belong to a large Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda ().
This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, freshwater, and fro ...
mollusc
Mollusca is a phylum of protostome, protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant taxon, extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum ...
s in the family
Pleurobranchaeidae
The Pleurobranchaeidae are a taxonomic family of sea slugs, marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Pleurobranchomorpha
The Pleurobranchidae are a taxonomic family of sea slugs, marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Pleurobranchomorpha.
...
. The genus is differentiated from other sidegill slugs by its
rhinophore
A rhinophore is one of a pair of Chemoreceptor, chemosensory club-shaped, rod-shaped or ear-like structures which are the most prominent part of the external head anatomy in sea slugs, Marine (ocean), marine gastropod opisthobranch mollusks suc ...
s, which are well separated, rather than being joined under the notum. This genus has recently been coined sea owls which is the common name in Japanese for ''Pleurobranchaea japonica.''
Species
Species in the genus ''Pleurobranchaea'' include:
* ''
Pleurobranchaea agassizii''
R. Bergh, 1897
* ''
Pleurobranchaea augusta''
Ev. Marcus & Gosliner, 1984
* ''
Pleurobranchaea britannica'' Turani, Carmona, Barry, Close, Bullimore & Cervera, 2024
* ''
Pleurobranchaea brockii''
Bergh, 1897
* ''
Pleurobranchaea bubala''
Marcus and Gosliner, 1984
* ''
Pleurobranchaea californica''
MacFarland, 1966
* ''
Pleurobranchaea catherinae''
Dayrat, 2001
* ''
Pleurobranchaea gela''
Er. Marcus & Ev. Marcus, 1966
* ''
Pleurobranchaea inconspicua''
Bergh, 1897
* ''
Pleurobranchaea japonica''
J. Thiele, 1925
* ''
Pleurobranchaea maculata''
(Quoy and Gaimard, 1832)
* ''
Pleurobranchaea meckeli''
(Blainville, 1825)
* ''
Pleurobranchaea morosa''
(Bergh, 1892)
* ''
Pleurobranchaea obesa''
( A. E. Verrill, 1882)
* ''
Pleurobranchaea spiroporphyra''
Alvim, Simone & Pimenta, 2014
* ''
Pleurobranchaea tarda''
A. E. Verrill, 1880
;Species brought into synonymy:
* ''Pleurobranchaea bonnieae''
Ev. Marcus and Gosliner, 1984 : synonym of ''Pleurobranchaea inconspicua''
Bergh, 1897
* ''Pleurobranchaea chiajei''
Locard, 1886: synonym of ''Pleurobranchaea meckeli''
(Blainville, 1825)
* ''Pleurobranchaea confusa''
Ev. Marcus & Gosliner, 1984: synonym of ''Pleurobranchaea obesa''
(A. E. Verrill, 1882)
* ''Pleurobranchaea dellechiaii''
Vérany, 1846: synonym of ''Pleurobranchaea meckeli''
(Blainville, 1825)
* ''Pleurobranchaea gemini''
Macnae, 1962: synonym of ''Pleurobranchaea brockii''
Bergh, 1897
* ''Pleurobranchaea hamva''
Er. Marcus & Ev. Marcus, 1955: synonym of ''Pleurobranchaea inconspicua''
Bergh, 1897
* ''Pleurobranchaea hedgpethi''
Abbott, 1952: synonym of ''Pleurobranchaea inconspicua''
Bergh, 1897
* ''Pleurobranchaea notmec''
Ev. Marcus & Gosliner, 1984: synonym of ''Pleurobranchaea meckeli''
(Blainville, 1825)
* ''Pleurobranchaea novaezealandiae''
Cheeseman, 1878: synonym of ''Pleurobranchaea maculata''
(Quoy & Gaimard, 1832)
* ''Pleurobranchaea vayssierei''
Ev. Marcus & Gosliner, 1984: synonym of ''Pleurobranchaea meckeli''
(Blainville, 1825)
References
{{Authority control
Pleurobranchaeidae