Flabellina salmonacea
Encyclopedia
Flabellina salmonacea, common name
the salmon aeolis, is a species
of sea slug
, an aolid nudibranch
, a marine
gastropod mollusk in the family Flabellinidae
.
, Iceland
, Spitsbergen
, North Pacific (Bering Strait
, Point Barrow
, Alaska, British Columbia
), the Western Atlantic (Cape Cod
(Mass.) north to Halifax (Nova Scotia) and the Eastern Atlantic and northern European waters (north coast of Norway
).
s rather than ascidians. The maximum recorded length is 50 mm.
These sea slugs are often suspension or deposit feeders, but they can equally be found consuming the colonial tunicate
Amaroucium constellatum Verrill, 1871. Juveniles have been found feeding on hydroid
s, especially Tubularia
.
The salmon aeolis has separate sexes, with almost no external differences. But they are simultaneously hermaphroditic
. However self-fertilization is prevented through morphological, physiological or behavioral mechanisms. They shed their eggs in a long, twisted, gelatinous mass.
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
the salmon aeolis, is a species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of sea slug
Slug
Slug is a common name that is normally applied to any gastropod mollusc that lacks a shell, has a very reduced shell, or has a small internal shell...
, an aolid nudibranch
Nudibranch
A nudibranch is a member of what is now a taxonomic clade, and what was previously a suborder, of soft-bodied, marine gastropod mollusks which shed their shell after their larval stage. They are noted for their often extraordinary colors and striking forms...
, a marine
Marine (ocean)
Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...
gastropod mollusk in the family Flabellinidae
Flabellinidae
Flabellinidae is a taxonomic family of brightly-colored sea slugs, specifically nudibranchs, marine gastropod mollusks.This family has no subfamilies.-Genera and species:Genera and species within the family Flabellinidae include:...
.
Distribution
This species occurs in the Arctic seas (GreenlandGreenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen is the largest and only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago in Norway. Constituting the western-most bulk of the archipelago, it borders the Arctic Ocean, the Norwegian Sea and the Greenland Sea...
, North Pacific (Bering Strait
Bering Strait
The Bering Strait , known to natives as Imakpik, is a sea strait between Cape Dezhnev, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia, the easternmost point of the Asian continent and Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, USA, the westernmost point of the North American continent, with latitude of about 65°40'N,...
, Point Barrow
Point Barrow
Point Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska, northeast of Barrow. It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States, at...
, Alaska, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
), the Western Atlantic (Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
(Mass.) north to Halifax (Nova Scotia) and the Eastern Atlantic and northern European waters (north coast of Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
).
Description
The white, translucent, broad body of this species reaches a length between 25 and 50 mm, and ends in a thin, tapered tail. An orange color variation may occur, caused by a diet of anemoneAnemone
Anemone , is a genus of about 120 species of flowering plants in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae in the north and south temperate zones...
s rather than ascidians. The maximum recorded length is 50 mm.
Ecology
Minimum recorded depth is 0 m. Maximum recorded depth is 672 m.These sea slugs are often suspension or deposit feeders, but they can equally be found consuming the colonial tunicate
Tunicate
Tunicates, also known as urochordates, are members of the subphylum Tunicata, previously known as Urochordata, a group of underwater saclike filter feeders with incurrent and excurrent siphons that is classified within the phylum Chordata. While most tunicates live on the ocean floor, others such...
Amaroucium constellatum Verrill, 1871. Juveniles have been found feeding on hydroid
Hydroid
-Marine biology:Hydroids are a life stage for most animals of class Hydrozoa, small predators related to jellyfish.-Botany:In mosses, hydroids form the innermost layer of the stem of long, colourless, thin walled cells of small diameter.The cells are dead and lack protoplasm.They function as water...
s, especially Tubularia
Tubularia
Tubularia is a genus of hydroids that appear to be furry pink tufts or balls at the end of long strings, thus causing them to be sometimes be called "pink-mouthed" or "pink-hearted" hydroids. T. larynx is described as:The stems are tubular, with a yellowish coloured tegument and are branched at the...
.
The salmon aeolis has separate sexes, with almost no external differences. But they are simultaneously hermaphroditic
Hermaphrodite
In biology, a hermaphrodite is an organism that has reproductive organs normally associated with both male and female sexes.Many taxonomic groups of animals do not have separate sexes. In these groups, hermaphroditism is a normal condition, enabling a form of sexual reproduction in which both...
. However self-fertilization is prevented through morphological, physiological or behavioral mechanisms. They shed their eggs in a long, twisted, gelatinous mass.
Further reading
- Abbott, R.T. (1974). American Seashells. 2nd ed. Van Nostrand Reinhold: New York, NY (USA). 663 pp
- Linkletter, L.E. 1977. A checklist of marine fauna and flora of the Bay of Fundy. Huntsman Marine LaboratoryHuntsman Marine Science CentreThe Huntsman Marine Science Centre is located on Lower Campus Road in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada...
, St. Andrews, N.B. 68 p - Turgeon, D.D., et al. 1998. Common and scientific names of aquatic invertebrates of the United States and Canada. American Fisheries Society Special Publication 26
- Trott, T.J. 2004. Cobscook Bay inventory: a historical checklist of marine invertebrates spanning 162 years. Northeastern Naturalist (Special Issue 2): 261 - 324
- Kuzirian, A.M. (1979) Taxonomy and biology of four New England coryphellid nudibranchs. Journal of Molluscan Studies, 45: 239-261
- Sea Slug Forum : Flabellina salmonacea; accessed : 17 January 2011