Lesueuria Vitrea
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''Lesueuria vitrea'' is a
species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of
comb jelly Ctenophora (; : ctenophore ) is a phylum of marine invertebrates, commonly known as comb jellies, that inhabit sea waters worldwide. They are notable for the groups of cilia they use for swimming (commonly referred to as "combs"), and they are ...
in the family
Bolinopsidae Bolinopsidae is a family (biology), family of ctenophores. Taxonomy The family contains three genera with the following species: *Genus ''Bolinopsis'' **''Bolinopsis ashleyi'' Gershwin, Zeidler & Davie, 2010 **''Bolinopsis chuni'' (von Lenden ...
. It is the
type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...
of the genus '' Lesueuria'' and is found in the
Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...
. Its
type specimen In biology, a type is a particular wikt:en:specimen, specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally associated. In other words, a type is an example that serves to ancho ...
was collected in the Bay of
Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million


Taxonomy

''Lesueuria vitrea'' was first described by French zoologist
Henri Milne-Edwards Henri Milne-Edwards (23 October 1800 – 29 July 1885) was a French zoologist. Biography Henri Milne-Edwards was the 27th child of William Edwards, an English planter and colonel of the militia in Jamaica and Elisabeth Vaux, a Frenchwoman. Hen ...
in 1841, when it was designated as the type species of the newly established genus ''Lesueuria''. Over the next century, several other zoologists collected or viewed the species and included it in their lists. Alessandro Spagnolini in 1870 believed the species may be what is now called '' Bolinopsis infundibulum'',
William M'Intosh William Carmichael M'Intosh LLD (also spelt McIntosh; 10 October 1838, St Andrews – 1 April 1931, St Andrews) was a Scottish physician and marine zoologist. He served as president of the Ray Society, as vice-president of the Royal Societ ...
claimed to have found it in Scotland in 1888, and Fanny Moser expanded the genus by adding '' L. hyboptera'' and '' L. tiedemanni'' in 1908.
Ole Theodor Jensen Mortensen Ole Theodor Jensen Mortensen, also known as Theodor Mortensen (22 February 1868, Harløse, Hillerød – 3 April 1952) was a Danish scientist and professor at the Zoological Museum, Copenhagen. He specialized in sea urchin Sea urchins or ur ...
agreed with Spagnolini in 1912, theorizing that ''L. vitrea'' was either a rare deep sea species, a heteromorphic form of ''B. infundibulum'', or specimens of ''B. infundibulum'' that lost most of their lobes through damage or mutilation. In 1957, ''Lesueuria vitrea'' was included in a species compendium, but with the note ''non revue depuis'' — "never seen again" since its first description. A series of dive explorations in 1957 in the Bay of Nice, where the species was originally reported, did not find any specimens; they did, however, find several of '' Bolinopsis hydatina'' in the range. The genus ''Lesueuria'' was assigned to the family
Bolinopsidae Bolinopsidae is a family (biology), family of ctenophores. Taxonomy The family contains three genera with the following species: *Genus ''Bolinopsis'' **''Bolinopsis ashleyi'' Gershwin, Zeidler & Davie, 2010 **''Bolinopsis chuni'' (von Lenden ...
in 1995. Despite its status as the
name-bearing type Under the ''International Code of Zoological Nomenclature'' (''Code''), the name-bearing type or onomatophore is the biological type that determines the application of a name. Each animal taxon regulated by the ''Code'' at least potentially has a na ...
of the genus ''Lesueuria'', Milne-Edwards did not submit any of the type material of the species for preservation or study. Because of the likelihood that it is in fact a mutilated member of the genus '' Bolinopsis'', the name ''Lesueuria vitrea'' is considered uncertain, or a ''
nomen dubium In binomial nomenclature, a ''nomen dubium'' (Latin for "doubtful name", plural ''nomina dubia'') is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application. Zoology In case of a ''nomen dubium,'' it may be impossible to determine whether a ...
'', by the
World Register of Marine Species The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive catalogue and list of names of marine organisms. Content The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scien ...
.


Description

In Milne-Edwards' original description, he noted the species' four auricles which look like ribbons, and its simple oral lobes. He also described a sensory organ but was unable to identify its exact nature. He interpreted several fibers that radiated from the organ as nerve structures, but they were later determined to be unrelated muscle fibers.


References


Bibliography

* * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q3016770 Bolinopsidae Fauna of the Mediterranean Sea Taxa described in 1841