Glaucillus marginata Bergh, 1868

Overview

This is a bluish-brown nudibranch with a bluish underside. It resembles most nudibranchs in shape. The elongated, flattened body is up to 1.2 cm long. The papillae (up to 139 in number) are placed in four pairs of clusters (Glaucillus marginata). It lives in the pleuston of all oceans.

Taxonomic Description

The naked body is elongate and flat. The body is brown ventrally (= upperside in living animals) the dorsal side is silver-blue. The head is small, blunt, it has a pair of small oral tentacles near the mouth and a pair of extremely small rhinophores on the dorsal side. There are always four pairs of clusters of papillae (or cerata) placed on peduncles on the lateral side of the body. The papillae are placed in more than one row (multiseriate), in total their may be 139 (or more). The genital pore is on the ventral side, at the right; the renal pore is close above the anus between the second and third cluster of papillae; the anus is situated at the right dorso-laterally between the second and third pair of papillae. The penis is not armed. The foot is flat and slender and found on the ventral side, the metapodium is short.
Body length up to 18 mm.

Juveniles

A special description is not available.

Reproduction

This species is hermaphroditic. The eggs are 58-67 µm wide and 74-82 µm long. Eggs are delivered in straight strings up to 6.4 mm long.

Ecology

This species is carnivorous and lives in the pleuston where it feeds on Velella, Porpita and Physalia. Cannibalism is common.

Distribution

This species occurs in the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean, see the Glaucillus marginata map.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Mollusca
Class Gastropoda
Subclass Euthyneura
Order Nudibranchia
Suborder Aeolidoidea
Superfamily Cleioprocta
Family Glaucidae
Genus Glaucillus
Species Glaucillus marginata

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Not included in WoRMS database

Scientific synonyms and common names

Glaucillus marginata Bergh, 1868

Synonyms

Glaucus octopterygus part Bennett, 1836: 114
Glaucillus marginata n. sp. Bergh, 1868
Glaucillus briareus n. sp. Bergh., 1868

According to Pruvot-Fol (1954) Glaucillus marginata is a synonym of Glaucus atlanticus, however, Iredale (1940) stated that these different species are collected sometimes together.

Iredale, T., 1940. Glaucus, a mystery of the Sea. Proc. Roy. zool. Soc. N. S. W. (1939-1940): 40-41.

Lalli, C. M. and Gilmer, R. W., 1989. Pelagic snails. The biology of holoplanktonic gastropod mollusks. Stanford, California (Stanford University Press): viii +259 pp., 25 tabs, 76 figs, 16 color figs.

Ross, R. M. and Quetin, L. B., 1990. Mating behavior and spawning in two neustonic nudibranchs in the family Glaucidae. Amer. Malacol. Bull. 8(1): 61-66.

Thompson, T. E. and Bennett, I., 1970. Observations on Australian Glaucidae (Mollusca: Opisthobrnachia). Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 49: 187-197.

Thompson, T. E. and McFarlain, I. D., 1967. ObserVations on a collection of Glaucus from the Gulf of Aden with critical review of published records of Glaucidae (Gastropoda, Opisthobranchia). Proc. Linn. Soc. London 178(2): 107-123.

Vayssiére, A., 1874. Observations sur l'anatomie du Glaucus. Ann. Sci. Nat (ser 6)1 (7): 1-17.

Willan, R. C. and Coleman, N., 1984. Nudibranchs of Australia. Australasian Marine Photographic Index Sydney, Australia.: 1-56.

No distribution map was available at OBIS the last time we checked. Retry now.

You can continue searching for Glaucillus marginata on one of these Web sites:

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