The Pleurobranchidae are a

taxonomic 280px, Generalized scheme of taxonomy Taxonomy is a practice and science concerned with classification or categorization. Typically, there are two parts to it: the development of an underlying scheme of classes (a taxonomy) and the allocation ...

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

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, 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

clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...

Pleurobranchomorpha.

Characteristics

Species in the family Pleurobranchidae have a prominent mantle and an internal shell that becomes reduced or is lost completely in adults. Some adult species have been seen feeding on

ascidian Ascidiacea, commonly known as the ascidians or sea squirts, is a paraphyletic class in the subphylum Tunicata of sac-like marine invertebrate filter feeders. Ascidians are characterized by a tough outer test or "tunic" made of the polysaccharid ...

Larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

l pleurobranchids can be planktotrophic (feeding on

plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms that drift in Hydrosphere, water (or atmosphere, air) but are unable to actively propel themselves against ocean current, currents (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are ca ...

), lecithotrophic (deriving nutrition from

yolk Among animals which produce eggs, the yolk (; also known as the vitellus) is the nutrient-bearing portion of the egg whose primary function is to supply food for the development of the embryo. Some types of egg contain no yolk, for example bec ...

), or direct developing. Like all Pleurobranchomorpha, they breathe through an external gill, located on the right side (contrary to

nudibranch Nudibranchs () are a group of soft-bodied marine gastropod molluscs, belonging to the order Nudibranchia, that shed their shells after their larval stage. They are noted for their often extraordinary colours and striking forms, and they have b ...

s who have it on the back), just after the genital organ. Many species produce secretions from their rich glandular mantle as a chemical defense against predators. Even the production of

sulfuric acid Sulfuric acid (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphuric acid (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth spelling), known in antiquity as oil of vitriol, is a mineral acid composed of the elements sulfur, oxygen, ...

has been reported.

Taxonomy

Until 2005, this family was placed in the suborder

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 ...

. However, in the taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi (2005), the family Pleurobranchidae was placed in the superfamily Pleurobranchoidea, the only family belonging to the subclade Pleurobranchomorpha (sister to the subclade Nudibranchia), part of the clade

Nudipleura Nudipleura are a clade of sea snails and sea slugs, marine gastropod mollusks within the large clade Heterobranchia. Taxonomy 2005 taxonomy In the taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi (2005), the clade Nudipleura is arranged as follows: *Clade N ...

Subfamily Pleurobranchinae

*'' Bathyberthella'' **'' Bathyberthella antarctica'' Willan and Bertsch, 1987 *''

Berthella ''Berthella'' is a genus of sea slugs, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Pleurobranchidae. Species Species within the genus ''Berthella'' are: ''Species inquirenda In biological classification, a ''species inquirenda'' is a species ...

de Blainville Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville (; 12 September 1777 – 1 May 1850) was a French zoologist and anatomist. Life Blainville was born at Arques, near Dieppe. As a young man, he went to Paris to study art, but ultimately devoted himself to natur ...

, 1824 **''

Berthella africana ''Berthella'' is a genus of sea slugs, marine (ocean), marine gastropod mollusks in the family Pleurobranchidae. Species Species within the genus ''Berthella'' are: ''Species inquirenda'' * ''Berthella dautzenbergi'' (R. B. Watson, 1897) * ''B ...

'' Pruvot-Fol, 1953 **''

Berthella agassizi ''Berthella'' is a genus of sea slugs, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Pleurobranchidae. Species Species within the genus ''Berthella'' are: ''Species inquirenda In biological classification, a ''species inquirenda'' is a species ...

'' MacFarland, 1909 **'' Berthella americana'' A. E. Verrill, 1885 **'' Berthella aurantiaca'' Risso, 1818 **'' Berthella caledonica'' Dall, 1900 **'' Berthella californica'' Dall, 1900 California sidegill slug **'' Berthella canariensis'' Cervera, J.L., T.M. Gosliner, J.C. García-Gómez & J. Ortea, 2000 **''

Berthella elongata ''Berthella'' is a genus of sea slugs, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Pleurobranchidae. Species Species within the genus ''Berthella'' are: ''Species inquirenda In biological classification, a ''species inquirenda'' is a species ...

'' Cantraine, 1835 **''

Berthella martensi ''Berthella martensi'' is a species of sea slug, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Pleurobranchidae. Description This species can grow up to a length of . The background coloration of the body varies a great deal, from light orange-br ...

'' Pilsbry, 1896 **''

Berthella medietas ''Berthella medietas'' is a species of sea slug, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Pleurobranchidae. Description ''Berthella medietas'' has a small internal shell and displays a distinctive orange to bronze coloration and it can reach a ...

'' R. Burn, 1962 **''

Berthella ocellata ''Berthella ocellata'' is a species of sea slug, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Pleurobranchidae. It is native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea where it inhabits the shallow sublittoral zone. Description The adul ...

'' delle Chiaje, 1830 **''

Berthella ornata ''Berthella ornata'' is a species of sea slug, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Pleurobranchidae. It is sometimes called the ornate side-gilled sea slug. Description This is a distinctive pleurobranch up to in length, the dorsal sur ...

'' T.F. Cheeseman, 1878 **''

Berthella patagonica ''Berthella patagonica'' is a species of sea slug within the family Pleurobranchidae. The species is found along the coasts of Argentina along Santa Cruz in demersal The demersal zone is the part of the sea or ocean (or deep lake) consisting ...

d'Orbigny Alcide Charles Victor Marie Dessalines d'Orbigny (6 September 1802 – 30 June 1857) was a French naturalist who made major contributions in many areas, including zoology (including malacology), palaeontology, geology, archaeology and anthropol ...

, 1837 **''

Berthella platei ''Berthella'' is a genus of sea slugs, marine (ocean), marine gastropod mollusks in the family Pleurobranchidae. Species Species within the genus ''Berthella'' are: ''Species inquirenda'' * ''Berthella dautzenbergi'' (R. B. Watson, 1897) * ''B ...

'' Bergh, 1898 **''

Berthella plumula ''Berthella plumula'', commonly known as yellow-plumed sea slug, is a gastropod mollusc usually found on rocky coasts in the infralittoral zone and which can live up to 30m depth. Description ''Berthella plumula'' is an oval-shaped sea slug ...

'' Montagu, 1803 **''

Berthella sideralis ''Berthella'' is a genus of sea slugs, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Pleurobranchidae. Species Species within the genus ''Berthella'' are: ''Species inquirenda In biological classification, a ''species inquirenda'' is a species ...

'' Lovén, 1846 **''

Berthella stellata ''Berthella'' is a genus of sea slugs, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Pleurobranchidae. Species Species within the genus ''Berthella'' are: ''Species inquirenda In biological classification, a ''species inquirenda'' is a species ...

'' Risso, 1826 **'' Berthella strongi'' MacFarland, 1966 **'' Berthella tamiu'' Ev. Marcus, 1984 **'' Berthella tupala'' Er. Marcus, 1957 *''

Berthellina ''Berthellina'' is a genus of sea slugs, marine (ocean), marine gastropod molluscs in the family Pleurobranchidae. Species Species within the genus ''Berthellina'' are: * ''Berthellina barquini'' Ortea, 2014 * ''Berthellina circularis'' (Mörch, ...

'' Gardiner, 1936 **'' Berthellina amarillus'' Mattox, 1953 **'' Berthellina americanus'' Verrill, 1885 **'' Berthellina circularis'' Mörch, 1863 **''

Berthellina citrina ''Berthellina citrina'', or the orange gumdrop, is a species of sea slug in the family Pleurobranchidae. It is found in rock pools in the intertidal zone and in shallow water in the tropical and subtropical Indo-Pacific region. Description ''Bert ...

'' Rüppell & Leuckart, 1828 (synonym of ''Gymnotoplax citrina'' Er. Marcus, 1957 ) **'' Berthellina delicata'' W.H. Pease, 1861 **''

Berthellina edwardsii ''Berthellina edwardsii'' is a species of sea slug, a gastropod mollusc in the family Pleurobranchidae. It is native to the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Description ''Berthellina edwardsii'' is a large sea slug, growing ...

'' Vayssière, 1897 **'' Berthellina engeli'' Gardiner, 1936 **'' Berthellina granulata'' (Krauss, 1848) **'' Berthellina ilisima'' Marcus, Er. & Ev. Marcus, 1967 **''

Berthellina quadridens ''Berthellina quadridens'' is a species of sea slug, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Pleurobranchidae. Distribution Distribution of ''Berthellina quadridens'' includes Mexico, Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, Venezuela, Aruba, Cur ...

'' Mörch, 1863 (junior synonym of ''Gymnotoplax quadridens'') Mörch, 1863. Contributions à la faune malacologique des Antilles danoises Journal de Conchyliologie 11 21-43. * '' Boreoberthella'' Martynov & Schrödl, 2009 *'' Bouvieria'' Vayssière, 1896 : synonym of ''Berthella'' Blainville, 1824 **'' Bouvieria auriantiaca'' Risso, 1813 **'' Bouvieria ocellata'' S. delle Chiaje, 1828 **'' Bouvieria perforata''

Philippi Philippi (; , ''Phílippoi'') was a major Greek city northwest of the nearby island, Thasos. Its original name was Crenides (, ''Krēnĩdes'' "Fountains") after its establishment by Thasian colonists in 360/359 BC. The city was renamed by Phili ...

, 1844 *'' Pleurehdera'' Ev. Marcus & Er. Marcus, 1970 **'' Pleurehdera haraldi'' Ev. Marcus & Er. Marcus, 1970 *''

Pleurobranchus ''Pleurobranchus'' is a genus of sea slugs, specifically side-gill slugs, marine gastropod mollusc in the family Pleurobranchidae. They typically occur in intertidal and shallow subtidal waters of tropical and subtropical seas worldwide. Spe ...

Cuvier Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric, baron Cuvier (23 August 1769 – 13 May 1832), known as Georges Cuvier (; ), was a French natural history, naturalist and zoology, zoologist, sometimes referred to as the "founding father of paleontology". Cuv ...

, 1805 *'' Tomthompsonia'' **'' Tomthompsonia antarctica'' Thiele, 1912 Image:Berthella ornata.JPG, ''

'' Image:Lemon pleurobranch DSC02038.JPG, '' Berthellina granulata'' Image:Pleurobranchus albiguttatus.jpg, '' Pleurobranchus albiguttatus''

References

External links

*
Richard C. Willan, Description of a New Pleurobranch (Opisthobranchia, Notaspidea) from Antarctic with a review of Notaspideans from South Polar Seas; The Veliger 29 (3), 1987 p. 292-302
{{Authority control Taxa named by John Edward Gray Gastropod families