Flabellina affinis
| Flabellina affinis | |
|---|---|
| |
| The nudibranch Flabellina affinis, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France. | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Order: | Nudibranchia |
| Suborder: | Cladobranchia |
| Superfamily: | Fionoidea |
| Family: | Flabellinidae |
| Genus: | Flabellina |
| Species: | F. affinis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Flabellina affinis | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Doris affinis Gmelin, 1791 (original combination) | |
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.
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 Flabellina 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.
- Flabellina ischitana: the ceratal surface has no purple-violet colouration and is translucent.
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Flabellina affinis on its food Eudendrium racemosum
References
- ^ 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.
- ^ Gofas, S. (2015). Flabellina affinis (Gmelin, 1791). In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2015-10-25
- ^ Rudman, W.B., 1999 (July 6) Flabellina affinis (Gmelin, 1791). [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.
External Links
- Photos of Flabellina affinis on Sealife Collection
- Photo study of the Flabellina affinis