Flabellina dushia is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Flabellinidae.[2]

Flabellina dushia
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Nudibranchia
Suborder: Cladobranchia
Superfamily: Fionoidea
Family: Flabellinidae
Genus: Flabellina
Species:
F. dushia
Binomial name
Flabellina dushia
Synonyms

Coryphella dushia Ev. Marcus & Er. Marcus, 1963

Distribution

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This species was described from the Caribbean Sea.[3] It was later redescribed from new material from Martinique, the Bahamas and Florida.[4] It has also been reported from the Canary Islands and Cape Verde Islands in the eastern Atlantic.[5]

Description

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Flabellina dushia is a flabellinid with opaque white pigment covering most of the body. The translucent body is visible through areas at the bases of the tentacles and rhinophores, behind the eyes and bases of the cerata. The rhinophores and oral tentacles are translucent at the base and covered with opaque white pigment in the outer two thirds. Mature animals reach 15 mm in length[4] or up to 20 mm.[6]

Ecology

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The minimum recorded depth for this species is 1 m; the maximum recorded depth is 20 m.[6]

References

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  1. ^ Marcus, Ev. & Marcus, Er. (1963) Opisthobranchs from the Lesser Antilles. Studies on the fauna of Curaçao and other Caribbean islands. 79: 1-76
  2. ^ Gofas, S. (2015). Flabellina dushia (Marcus Ev. & Er., 1963). In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2015-10-26
  3. ^ Rudman, W.B., 2005 (February 4) Flabellina dushia (Marcus & Marcus, 1963). [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.
  4. ^ a b Millen, S. V. & Hamann, J.C. (2006) A New Nudibranch Species, Genus Flabellina (Opisthobranchia: Aeolidacea) from the Caribbean with redescriptions of F. verta (Marcus 1970), and F. dushia (Marcus and Marcus, 1963). Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 57: 925-936.
  5. ^ Ortea, J., M. Caballer & L. Moro. 2004. Dos aeolidaceos con ceratas rojos de la region macaronesica y el mar Caribe (Mollusca: Nudibranchia). Vieraea, 32: 83-96.
  6. ^ a b Welch J. J. (2010). "The “Island Rule” and Deep-Sea Gastropods: Re-Examining the Evidence". PLoS ONE 5(1): e8776. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0008776.