Corolla ovata (Quoy and Gaimard, 1832)

Overview

This is a shell-less pteropod with a large gelatinous slipper-like pseudoconch, 4 cm long. The pseudoconch is broad-oval. The wings are disc-shaped and the visceral mass forms a dark nucleus embedded in the perfectly transparent pseudoconch. The pseudoconch is rounded at both sides and covered with large warts. The proboscis is prominent. It is an elegant swimmer that feeds with a mucous web in microplankton. It lives in temperate and warm waters of all oceans (Corolla ovata Japan Sea).

Taxonomic Description

Corolla ovata has a slipper-like pseudoconch (Corolla ovata 1, Corolla ovata pseudoconch) which is transparent with a broad cavity occupying the dorsal half and leaving half or more of the "slipper" for the aperture. Tuberculation is rather coarse, irregular, most dense at the dorsal side. The swimming disc is broadly oval and does not reach far beyond the border of the pseudoconch in preserved specimens but it may reach far over this border when alive. The wing musculature consists of a few opaque broad muscle bands forming three separate crossing systems visible in the intact wing. The proboscis is broad and of moderate length reaching the middle of the swimming disc, it bears two symmetrical tentacles and two horns of moderate length. The proboscis is free from the disc surface over nearly its total length (Corolla ovata 2). The mantle gland is slightly asymmetrical with four broad bands, and three narrow transparent bands of which one is incomplete (Corolla ovata mantle). Glands along the wing border are not present. Largest diameter of the swimming disc is 80 mm. Pseudoconch length up to 40 mm.

Juveniles

A special description is not available.

Reproduction

The species is a protandric hermaphrodite.

Ecology

The species is phytophagous and epipelagic. Horizontal swimming speed is 3.5 mm/sec., upward swimming is 3.5 mm/sec and sinking speed is 3.9 mm/sec.

Distribution

Corolla ovata occurs in all oceans between 40°N and 40°S, and is a cosmopolitan warm water species, see the Corolla ovata map. It shows considerable diurnal vertical migration; in the Florida Current Wormelle (1962) found a mean day level at 221 m and a mean night level at 52 m.

Types

Cymbulia ovata Quoy and Gaimard, 1832: 373 (1833), pl. 27, figs. 25-30.
Lectotype: MHNP, animal and pseudoconch prepared (alcohol collection) Paratypes: MHNP, 7 pseudoconchs, 2 complete spec., 2 damaged spec. (alcohol collection).
Type locality: Amboine. Coll.: Quoy and Gaimard.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Mollusca
Class Gastropoda
Subclass Euthyneura
Order Thecosomata
Suborder Pseudothecosomata
Family Cymbuliidae
Subfamily Glebinae
Genus Corolla
Species Corolla ovata

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Not included in WoRMS database

Scientific synonyms and common names

Corolla ovata (Quoy and Gaimard, 1832)

Synonyms

Cymbulia ovata n. sp. Quoy and Gaimard, 1832: 373
Cymbulia ovularis Rang, in: Souleyet, 1852b: pl. 11, fig. 1-6
Cymbuliopsis ovata Pelseneer, 1888: 10
Corola ovata Meisenheimer, 1905c: 41
Corolla pacifica nom. nud. Beklemishev, 1961b (cf. McGowan, 1971: 17)

Beklemishev, C. W., 1961b. Zooplankton in the eastern North Pacific in winter 1958/59 [in Russian]. In: Oceanological research of the Vityaz in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean with respect to the programme of International Geophysical Year. Trudy Inst. Okeanol., 45: 142-171, 9 figs.

Davenport, J. and Bebbington, A., 1990. Observations on the swimming and buoyancy of some thecosomatous pteropod gastropods. J. Moll. Stud. 56: 487-497.

Gilmer, R. W., 1974. Some aspects of feeding in thecosomatous pteropod mollusks. Journal exp. mar. Biol. Ecol. 15: 127-144.

McGowan, J. A., 1971. Oceanic biogeography of the Pacific. In: Funnell, B. M. and Riedel, W. R. (eds). The micropaleontology of oceans. London (Cambridge University Press): 3-74.

Meisenheimer, J., 1905c. Pteropoda. Deutsch. Tiefsee Exp. 1898-1899 IX: 1-314, Atlas Pl. 1-27 Map 1-9.

Newman, L. J., 1990. Holoplanktonic molluscs (Gastropoda; Thecosomata, Gymnosomata, and Heteropoda) from the waters of Australia and Papua New Guinea: their taxonomy, distribution and biology. PhD Thesis Univ. Qld. Australia. 208 pp.

Pelseneer, P., 1888a. Report on the Pteropoda collected by H. M. S. Challenger during the years 1873-1876, 2. The Thecosomata Reports on the scientific. Results of the voyage of H. M. S. Challenger during the years 1873-1876 (zool.) 23(1): 1-132, 2 figs, 2 pls.

Quoy, J. R. C. and Gaimard, J., 1832. Voyage de découvertes de l'Astrolabe, exécuté par ordre du roy, pendant les années 1826-1827-1828-1829, sous le commendement de M. J. Dumont d'Urville. Zoologie, 2: 1-686 (1832); atlas (with slightly differing title) mollusques pls 1-93, zoophytes pls 1-26 (without explications) (1833).

Souleyet, [F. L. A.], 1851. (introd. S. Petit) Ordre des ptéropodes. J. Conchyl. 2: 28-38.

Souleyet, [F. L. A.], 1852b. In: Rang, P. C. A. L. and Souleyet, [F. L. A.]: Histoire Naturelles de mollusques Ptéropodes. Monographie comprenant la description de toutes les espèces. J. B. Baillière, Paris: 1-86.

Starobogatov, J. I., 1971. Ordo Thecosomata; ordo Gymnosomata; ordo Heteropoda. In: Polevoy Zool. Inst. Akad. Moscou. opredeliteli planktona (without page or figure numbers, not bound, mimiographed). [in Russsian]

Suarez, A. M., 1992. Pterópodos (Gastropoda: Thecosmata y Pseudothecosomata) de aguas someras (0-50m) del sur del Golfo de Méxica. An. Inst. Cienc. Mar Limn. Univ. Nal. Autón 19 (2): 201-209.

Tesch, J. J., 1904. The Thecosomata and Gymnosomata of the Siboga Expedition. Siboga Rep. 52: 1-92, 156 figs.

Tesch, J. J., 1913c. Mollusca, Pteropoda. In: F. E. Schulze. Das Tierreich. Eine Zusammenstellung und Kennzeichnung der rezenten Tierformen 36. Berlin (Friedberger and Sohn): i-xvi, 1-154, 108 figs.

Tokioka, T., 1955c. On some plankton animals collected by the Syunkotu-Maru in May-June 1954, 4. Thecosomatous pteropods. Publ. Seto mar. biol. Lab. 5(1): 59-74, pls 7-13.

Tokioka, T., 1961. The structure of the operculum of the species of Atlantidae (Gastropoda: Heteropoda) as a taxonomic criterion, with records of some pelagic mollusks in the North Pacific. Publ. Seto mar. biol. Lab. 9(2): 267-332 (art. 15, pp. 1-86).

Spoel, S. van der and Boltovskoy, D., 1981. Pteropoda. In: Boltovskoy, D. (ed.). Atlas del zooplancton del Atlantico Sudoccidental. Publ. INIDEP Argentina: 493-512.

Spoel, S. van der, Boltovskoy, D. and Jankivich, S. S., 1981. Classification y distribucion. In: Boltovskoy, D. (ed.). Atlas del zooplancton del Atlantico Sudoccidental. Publ. INIDEP Argentina: 512-524.

Spoel, S. van der, 1976c. Pseudothecosomata, Gymnosomata and Heteropoda. Bohn, Scheltema & Holkema, Utrecht. 484 pp. 246 figs.

Spoel, S. van der, 1981a. Descripcion de los conchas embrionarias de Cavoliniidae. In: Boltovskoy, D. (ed.). Atlas del zooplancton del Atlantico Sudoccidental. Publ. INIDEP Argentina: 525-531.

Spoel, S. van der, 1992b. Pteropods from Akajima, Rep. Akajima Mar. Sci. Lab. 3: 12-13 [in Japanese]

Yamaji, I., 1991. Illustrations of the marine plankton of Japan. 3°Ed. Hoikusha Publ. Co. Ltd, Osaka.: 1-538.

Zhang, F., 1964. The pelagic molluscs off the China coast, 1. A systematic study of Pteropoda (Opisthobranchia), Heteropoda (Prosobranchia) and Janthinidae (Ptenoglossa, Prosobranchia). Stud. Mar. Sinica 5: 125-226.

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