Plocamopherus maderae
| Plocamopherus maderae | |
|---|---|
| |
| Costa Teguise, Lanzarote. | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Heterobranchia |
| Order: | Nudibranchia |
| Suborder: | Doridina |
| Superfamily: | Polyceroidea |
| Family: | Polyceridae |
| Genus: | Plocamopherus |
| Species: | P. maderae
|
| Binomial name | |
| Plocamopherus maderae (Lowe, 1842)
| |
Plocamopherus maderae is a species of sea slug, a nudibranch, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusk in the family Polyceridae.[1]
Description[edit]
This nudibranch is orange or yellow-orange in colour, with numerous small dark brown spots and fewer, larger, poorly-defined, orange spots and patches. The mantle edge has three pairs of branched papillae, one behind the branchial plume, one in front and one mid-way along the back. These are marked with white pigment and there is a variable amount of white pigment along the mantle edge and behind the gills. The papillae behind the branchial plume bear rounded bioluminescent organs. The tail is long, flattened and has a dorsal crest. It is muscular and can be used for swimming. The gills are large, sparsely branched and held erect. The rhinophores have lamellate tips and a tapering stalk and are similar in colour to the body. Maximum size is about 50 mm.[2] This nudibranch is normally nocturnal, hiding beneath boulders in shallow water during daytime.
Distribution[edit]
This species was described from Madeira. It has subsequently been reported from the Canary Islands and the Cape Verde Islands.[1][3][4]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Plocamopherus maderae (R. T. Lowe, 1842). Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 10 January 2019.
- ^ Lowe, R.T., 1842. Description of a new dorsibranchiate gasteropod discovered at Madeira. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, (10): 51-53.
- ^ Rudman, W.B., 2003 (January 13) Plocamopherus maderae (Lowe, 1842). [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.
- ^ Köhler, E., 2018. Plocamopherus maderae (Lowe, 1842). Sea slugs of the world, accessed 2018-03-31.