Calmella gaditana

Calmella gaditana is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Flabellinidae.[2]

Calmella gaditana
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Heterobranchia
Order: Nudibranchia
Suborder: Cladobranchia
Superfamily: Fionoidea
Family: Coryphellidae
Genus: Calmella
Species:
C. gaditana
Binomial name
Calmella gaditana
(Cervera, García-Gómez & García, 1987)[1]
Synonyms
  • Flabellina confusa Gonzalez-Duarte, Cervera & Poddubetskaia, 2008
  • Piseinotecus gaditanus Cervera, García-Gómez & García, 1987

Distribution

This nudibranch was described from Cadiz, Spain. It has since been found in the Cape Verde Islands, the Canary Islands, Senegal and the Bay of Biscay north to the Bay of Arcachon, France.[3]

Description

This nudibranch is translucent white in colour and reaches 12 mm in length. The tips of the rhinophores, oral tentacles and tail are tipped with white. The digestive gland in the cerata is red and there are large white spots all over the surfaces of the cerata. The buccal mass is bright pink-purple and shows through the skin and tissue of the head as two oval masses.

Ecology

Calmella gaditana feeds on hydroids. It has been reported eating Eudendrium species in the Bay of Arcachon.[3] It has been found in rock pools on the shore and in shallow water with strong currents.[3]

References
  1. Cervera J.L., García J.C & García F.J. (1987). Una nueva especie de Piseinotecus Marcus, 1955 del litoral ibérico. Bollettino Malacologico 22(9-12): 215-222
  2. Picton, B. (2017). Calmella gaditana (Cervera, García-Gomez & García, 1987). In: MolluscaBase (2017). Accessed on 2018-01-13
  3. Piseinotecus gaditanus at Doris (in French)
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