Notobranchaea bleekerae Van der Spoel and Pafort-van Iersel, 1985

Overview

This is a medium sized naked pelagic snail, up to 0.5 cm long, with a semi-transparent body with orange-red visceral organs and black chromatophores only on body and head. It is a good swimmer that hunts shelled pteropods as food. It lives in the N-Atlantic and N-Indian Oceans (Notobranchaea bleekerae).

Taxonomic Description

Body is somewhat triangular in the shape, the head parts are slightly broader than the body. It is transparent, yellowish, the anterior tentacles are brown. A trace of a ciliary band is present. The posterior gill is quadrangular with two dorsal and two ventral crests without fringes, posteriorly there is a small knob. The wings are slender and narrow at their base. The lateral footlobes together form a slender, long ribbon running transversely in between the wings. The small pointed posterior footlobe is separated from the lateral ones. In the lateral footlobes a median foot tubercle is found. At the transition between buccal cavity and the outside of the hood six small additional denticles are found at each side of the jaw which is composed of 16 denticles. (Notobranchaea bleekerae buccal). The Notobranchaea bleekerae radula formula is 2-1-2, the two laterals teeth are short, claw-like. Hook-sacs are shallow and contain 9 short curved hooks each.
Body length up to 5 mm, maximum width 3 mm.

Juveniles

A special description is not available.

Reproduction

This species is a protandric hermaphrodite.

Ecology

This species is a carnivore.

Distribution

It is found in the N-Atlantic and N-Indian Ocean, see the Notobranchaea bleekerae map.

Types

Notobranchaea bleekerae Van der Spoel and Pafort-van Iersel, 1985: 33, fig. 1.
Holotype was preserved in the ZMAN
Type locality: AMNAPE stat. 81 haul 7, depth 100-200 m, 16.1-14.9°C 36.05-35.18 °S. 41°00.3'N 35°32.1'W June 11, 1983.
Holotype is preserved in the ZMAN
Etymology: The name is given in honour of Mrs. J. Bleeker

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Mollusca
Class Gastropoda
Subclass Euthyneura
Order Gymnosomata
Suborder Gymnosomata
Family Notobranchaeidae
Genus Notobranchaea
Species Notobranchaea bleekerae

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Accepted name: Notobranchaea bleekerae van der Spoel & Pafort, 1985

Scientific synonyms and common names

Notobranchaea bleekerae Van der Spoel and Pafort-van Iersel, 1985

Synonyms

Notobranchaea bleekerae n. sp. Van der Spoel and Pafort-van Iersel, 1985: 33, fig. 1

Pafort-van Iersel, G. J. S., 1985a. Contributions to pelagic zoogeography of the mid North Atlantic Ocean, 1. Distribution of pteropods, heteropods and silver hatchetfishes. In: G. J. S. Pafort-van Iersel. A contribution to pelagic zoogeography of the mid North Atlantic Ocean (7th paper) (Thesis Univ. van Amsterdam): 1-45, 5 tabs, 4 figs, 27 append.

Spoel, S. van der and Pafort-van Iersel, G. J. S., 1985. Note on the taxonomy of the family Notobranchaeidae and description of Notobranchaea bleekerae n. sp., a species new to science (Mollusca, Pteropoda). Basteria 49 (1-3): 29-361.

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