Marianina khaleesi

Marianina khaleesi is a species of sea slugs, a dendronotid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Tritoniidae.[2]

Marianina khaleesi
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Mollusca
Class:
Gastropoda
(unranked):
clade Heterobranchia
clade Euthyneura
clade Nudipleura
clade Nudibranchia
clade Dexiarchia
clade Cladobranchia
clade Dendronotida
Superfamily:
Tritonioidea
Family:
Tritoniidae
Genus:
Marianina
Species:
M. khaleesi
Binomial name
Marianina khaleesi
(Silva, Azevedo & Matthews-Cascon, 2014)[1]
Synonyms[2]
  • Tritonia khaleesi Silva, Azevedo & Matthews-Cascon, 2014

Etymology

The specific name khaleesi is named after the title "Khaleesi" used by the fictional character Daenerys Targaryen in the fantasy novel series A Song of Ice and Fire. The discoverers chose the name because the silver-colored band on the back of the slug reminded them of the pale blond hair of the character as played by Emilia Clarke in the television adaptation Game of Thrones.[3]

Distribution

Marianina khaleesi was discovered off north-east Brazil in the South Atlantic Ocean and first described in 2014.

Description

This species is up to 12 millimetres (0.47 in) long, with a slender white body, whose notum features a broad white band between the eyes and the tail. It is the only known Tritoniid with a unicuspid rachidian tooth in adult form.[1]

References
  1. Silva, F. D. V.; Azevedo, V. M. D.; Matthews-Cascon, H. (2014). "A new species of Tritonia (Opisthobranchia: Nudibranchia: Tritoniidae) from the tropical South Atlantic Ocean". Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. 94 (3): 579–585. doi:10.1017/S0025315413001586.
  2. MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Marianina khaleesi (Silva, de Azevedo et Matthews-Cascon, 2014). Accessed on 2021-01-08
  3. Hudson, Laura. "Newly Discovered Sea Slug Named After Game of Thrones Character". Underwire. Wired. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
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