Nembrotha purpureolineata
Encyclopedia
Nembrotha purpureolineata is a species
of colourful sea slug
, a dorid nudibranch
, a marine
gastropod mollusc in the family Polyceridae
. Nembrotha rutilans, classified as a separate species until 2008, has now been reclassified as Nembrotha purpureolineata.
off Western Australia by O'Donoghue
in 1924. The short colour description given is probably enough to identify it to be the same as Nembrotha rutilans (Pruvot-Fol
, 1931). The description of this species was done purely from a painting of marine life on the Great Barrier Reef in a book by William Saville-Kent
, (1893) and so the earlier name has been given precedence.
Ocean.
. Although the ground colour is a creamy white, this is mostly hidden by a large brown patch which covers most of the notum
. Brown stripes usually run down the sides of the body and a brown band is found around the head and anterior part of the mantle. The rhinophore
s are red to orange-red. The foot is usually edged with purple, though this may only be rather faint. It may reach a total length of 120 mm. This species is easily confused with Nembrotha aurea and Nembrotha chamberlaini
. All three species have a similar range of colour variation although N. aurea often has orange patches not present in Nembrotha purpureolineata.
s. It has been seen feeding on the yellow-lined ascidian, Clavelina meridionalis.
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 colourful 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...
, a dorid 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 mollusc in the family Polyceridae
Polyceridae
Polyceridae is a taxonomic family of sea slugs, dorid nudibranchs, marine gastropod mollusks within the Superfamily Polyceroidea.- Taxonomy :...
. Nembrotha rutilans, classified as a separate species until 2008, has now been reclassified as Nembrotha purpureolineata.
Taxonomy
Nembrotha purpureolineata was first described from a preserved specimen collected from Abrolhos IslandsHoutman Abrolhos
The Houtman Abrolhos is a chain of 122 islands, and associated coral reefs, in the Indian Ocean off the west coast of Australia. Nominally located at , it lies about eighty kilometres west of Geraldton, Western Australia...
off Western Australia by O'Donoghue
O'Donoghue
Donoghue or O'Donoghue is an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of the Gaelic Ó Donnchadha or Ó Donnchú ‘descendant of Donnchadh’, a personal name composed of the elements donn = ‘brown-haired man’ or ‘lord’ + cath = ‘battle’....
in 1924. The short colour description given is probably enough to identify it to be the same as Nembrotha rutilans (Pruvot-Fol
Alice Pruvot-Fol
Alice Pruvot-Fol was a French opisthobranch malacologist.She was the author of many new species, mostly described on the basis of preserved animals....
, 1931). The description of this species was done purely from a painting of marine life on the Great Barrier Reef in a book by William Saville-Kent
William Saville-Kent
William Saville-Kent was an English marine biologist.Born in Sidmouth, Devon, his childhood was marred by the death of his mother, the murder of his half-brother and conviction of his sister Constance to twenty years in prison...
, (1893) and so the earlier name has been given precedence.
Distribution
This nudibranch occurs in the west of the tropical Indo-West PacificIndo-Pacific
The Indo-Pacific is a biogeographic region of the Earth's seas, comprising the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the seas connecting the two in the general area of Indonesia...
Ocean.
Description
Nembrotha purpureolineata is a large pale-bodied doridDoridoidea
Doridoidea, commonly known as dorid nudibranchs, are a taxonomic superfamily of medium to large, shell-less sea slugs, marine gastropod mollusks in the clade Doridacea, included in the clade Nudibranchia....
. Although the ground colour is a creamy white, this is mostly hidden by a large brown patch which covers most of the notum
Notum
The notum is the dorsal portion of an insect's thoracic segment. It is typically a single large sclerite. It can be further divided into the alinotum which bears the wings and the postnotum which bears the phragma....
. Brown stripes usually run down the sides of the body and a brown band is found around the head and anterior part of the mantle. The rhinophore
Rhinophore
A rhinophore is one of a pair of club-shaped structures which are the most prominent part of the external head anatomy of a group of sea slugs, marine gastropod opisthobranch mollusks in the order Nudibranchia, the nudibranchs, specifically the dorid nudibranchs.- Etymology :The name relates to the...
s are red to orange-red. The foot is usually edged with purple, though this may only be rather faint. It may reach a total length of 120 mm. This species is easily confused with Nembrotha aurea and Nembrotha chamberlaini
Nembrotha chamberlaini
Nembrotha chamberlaini is a species of colorful sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Polyceridae. It was first described in 1997.-Distribution:This species is known only from the Philippines and Indonesia....
. All three species have a similar range of colour variation although N. aurea often has orange patches not present in Nembrotha purpureolineata.
Ecology
This species feeds on ascidians and tunicateTunicate
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...
s. It has been seen feeding on the yellow-lined ascidian, Clavelina meridionalis.