Flabellina affinis

Flabellina affinis is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Flabellinidae.[2] It is the type species of the genus Flabellina.

Flabellina affinis
The nudibranch Flabellina affinis, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Heterobranchia
Order: Nudibranchia
Suborder: Cladobranchia
Superfamily: Fionoidea
Family: Coryphellidae
Genus: Flabellina
Species:
F. affinis
Binomial name
Flabellina affinis
(Gmelin, 1791)[1]
Synonyms

Doris affinis Gmelin, 1791 (original combination)

Distribution

This species is found in depths to 50 m in European waters in the Atlantic Ocean from Portugal to Ghana and the Canaries and is widespread in the Mediterranean Sea.[3]

Description

The species can grow to a length of 50 mm. It feeds primarily on species of Eudendrium, a very common hydroid genus in the Mediterranean Sea.

Flabellina affinis is often confused with Paraflabellina ischitana, but can be distinguished as follows:

  • Flabellina affinis: the outer part of the digestive gland in each ceras is not visible as the area beneath the subapical white ring is opaque violet in colour.
  • Paraflabellina ischitana: the ceratal surface has no purple-violet colouration and is translucent.

References
  1. Gmelin, Johann Friedrich. 1791. In: C. Linnaeus. Systema Naturae, per regna tria naturae, : secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. ed. 13, 1(6):3103- 3107, 3147-3148.
  2. Gofas, S. (2015). Flabellina affinis (Gmelin, 1791). In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2015-10-25
  3. Rudman, W.B., 1999 (July 6) Flabellina affinis (Gmelin, 1791). [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.
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