Re: Discodoris stellifera? from the Mediterranean

October 8, 2009
From: Antonio Perrone

Concerning message #22563:

I am new to your wonderful and very interesting forum.  I can confirm that the specimen is not Discodoris stellifera, nothing more. The specimen is very interesting and it appears to have spicules. The general external appearance recalls the genus Aldisa  but also some old description of Mediterranean Thordisa (even if they are not the typical papillae of Thordisa).  We know rather well the morphology of Thordisa filix but we do know nothing about the anatomy and the biology of a small group of rare taxa of ' Thordisa' described from the Mediterranean.

I hope to contribute to the forum in future

Antonio Perrone

antperrone@gmail.com

Perrone A.S., 2009 (Oct 8) Re: Discodoris stellifera? from the Mediterranean. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/22686

Dear Antonio,

Welcome to the Forum and thanks for your comments. The reason I included close-ups was because I wasn't sure if I was seeing spicules or not. If they are, they almost look like they could be described as caryophyllidia. I don't think species of Thordisa have large spicules like that, in fact I have had a quick look through the papers listed below and can't find any description of spicules in the mantle of Thordisa. But I could be wrong. Like you, I find the specimen quite puzzling.

I will move this to the unidentified Europe-Mediterranean list. I am reluctant to move things there because they tend to get forgotten. Perhaps it's a good time to ask you all to have a quick look through 'the unidentified' and see if you can help find a name for a few.

  • Chan, J. M. and T. M. Gosliner (2007). Preliminary phylogeny of Thordisa (Nudibranchia: Discodorididae) with descriptions of five new species. The Veliger 48(4): 284-308.
  • Valdes, A. and T. M. Gosliner (2001). Systematics and phylogeny of the caryophyllidia-bearing dorids (Mollusca, Nudibranchia), with descriptions of a new genus and four new species from Indo-Pacific deep waters. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 133: 103-198.
  • Valdes, A. (2002). A phylogenetic analysis and systematic revision of the cryptobranch dorids (Mollusca, Nudibranchia, Anthobranchia). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 136(5): 535-636.

    Best wishes,
    Bill Rudman
Rudman, W.B., 2009 (Oct 8). Comment on Re: Discodoris stellifera? from the Mediterranean by Antonio Perrone. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/22686

Factsheet

Unidentified - Europe, Mediterranean, West Africa

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