''Luisella'' is a

monotypic genus In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...

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 aeolid

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, 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 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 ...

Samlidae.Korshunova, T.; Martynov, A.; Bakken, T.; Evertsen, J.; Fletcher, K.; Mudianta, W.; Saito, H.; Lundin, K.; Schrödl, M.; Picton, B. (2017)
Polyphyly of the traditional family Flabellinidae affects a major group of Nudibranchia: aeolidacean taxonomic reassessment with descriptions of several new families, genera, and species (Mollusca, Gastropoda).
ZooKeys. 717: 1-139. Its one species is ''Luisella babai''.

Etymology

The specific epithet ''babai'' honors the Japanese malacologist Kikutaro Baba.DORIS - Données d'Observations pour la Reconnaissance et l'Identification de la faune et la flore Subaquatiques

Distribution

This species was described from 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 ...

where it is a fairly common species. It is also present in the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...

and it has also been reported from the Atlantic coasts of

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

and

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

. It inhabits rocky bottoms at depths of 5 to 50 m.

Description

''Luisella babai'' can reach a length of about . Body is usually white to light blue, elongated and translucent with a white edge and a long sharp pointed tail.

Cerata :''The tortrix moth genus ''Cerata'' is considered a junior synonym of ''Cydia (genus), Cydia. Cerata, singular ceras, are anatomical structures found externally in nudibranch sea slugs, especially in aeolid nudibranchs, marine animal, marine opi ...

are arranged in groups of 3–9. They show the same body color with yellow-orange rings on the terminal parts. The two long tentacles in their anterior part have the same color of the body. Also the two

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 in their upper part shows the same color of the body, with a yellow terminal part. Digestive system and liver are visible in transparency.T.M. Gosliner, R.C. Willia
Review of the Flabellinidae from the Tropical Indo-Pacific
The Veliger Vol. 34 - California Malacozoological Society - Northern California Malacozoological Club This species is rather similar to '' Samla bicolor'' (Kelaart, 1858), but ''S. bicolor'' can be found only in the Indo-Pacific.

Biology

Hermaphrodite A hermaphrodite () is a sexually reproducing organism that produces both male and female gametes. Animal species in which individuals are either male or female are gonochoric, which is the opposite of hermaphroditic. The individuals of many ...

, like all nudibranchs, it deposits on the branches of the hydrozoans a white gelatinous spiral cord composed of thousands of eggs from which five to eight days later

veliger A veliger is the planktonic larva of many kinds of sea snails and freshwater snails, as well as most bivalve molluscs (clams) and tusk shells. Description The veliger is the characteristic larva of the gastropod, bivalve and scaphopod taxono ...

larvae hatch. These nudibranchs feed on

hydroids Hydroids are a life stage for most animals of the class Hydrozoa, small predators related to jellyfish. Some hydroids such as the freshwater '' Hydra'' are solitary, with the polyp attached directly to the substrate. When these produce buds, ...

, manly '' Campanularia'', ''

Bougainvillia ''Bougainvillia'' is a genus of hydroids in the family Bougainvilliidae in the class Hydrazoa. Members of the genus are characterised by having the marginal tentacles of their medusae arranged in four bundles. Some species are solitary and ot ...

'' and ''

Eudendrium ''Eudendrium'' is a large genus of hydroids (Hydrozoa), one of two in the family Eudendriidae. These animals are marine cnidarias in the family Eudendriidae Eudendriidae is a taxonomic family of hydroids (Hydrozoa). The family contains aro ...

'' species.

Gallery

File: Flabellina babai Schmekel, 1972 - ponte.jpg, ''L. babai'' spawn File:Babosa de mar (Flabellina babai), Parque natural de la Arrábida, Portugal, 2022-07-19, DD 84.jpg, ''L. babai'' in the coast of Portugal File:Flabellina babai Schmekel, 1972 - cnidocystes ≈ 10 μm dans un cnidosac.jpg,

Cnidocyst A cnidocyte (also known as a cnidoblast) is a type of cell containing a large secretory organelle called a ''cnidocyst'', that can deliver a sting to other organisms as a way to capture prey and defend against predators. A cnidocyte explosively ...

References

Bibliography

* Gary R. McDonald, University of California Santa Cru
Nudibranch Systematic Index
University of California Santa Cruz (PDF), in Institute of Marine Sciences (2006). * Egidio Trainito, Nudibranchi del Mediterraneo. Guida al riconoscimento dei molluschi opistobranchi, 2005ª ed., Milano, Il Castello, 2005, .

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q47049592, from2=Q5456528 Samlidae Monotypic gastropod genera