Carronella pellucida

Carronella pellucida is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch, a marine heterobranch mollusc in the family Flabellinidae.[2] It is occasionally referred to as the milky white sea slug, the pellucid aeolid, or the red-gilled nudibranch, though these names are not commonly accepted in formal settings.

Carronella pellucida
The nudibranch Carronella pellucida, Leversund, Gulen, Norway.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Mollusca
Class:
Gastropoda
Subclass:
Heterobranchia
Order:
Nudibranchia
Superfamily:
Flabellinoidea
Family:
Flabellinidae
Genus:
Carronella
Species:
C. pellucida
Binomial name
Carronella pellucida
(Alder & Hancock, 1843)[1]
Synonyms
  • Eolis pellucida Alder & Hancock, 1843
  • Coryphella pellucida (Alder & Hancock, 1843)
  • Flabellina pellucida (Alder & Hancock, 1843)

Description

Carronella pellucida has a translucent white body and opaque white pigment on the tips of the rhinophores, oral tentacles and cerata.[3][4] The bodies of the cerata are bright red due to the presence and appearance of the nudibranch's digestive glands. These cerata are arranged in distinct clusters which extend from several common stalks known as peduncles.[5]

Illustration in A monograph of the British nudibranchiate Mollusca

The maximum recorded body length is 30 mm[6] or up to 40 mm.[4]

Distribution

This species was described from a single specimen collected from deep water, off Cullercoats, England, North Sea. It has a northerly distribution in the UK, being found most regularly in Scotland.[3]

Ecology

Minimum recorded depth is 0 m.[6] Maximum recorded depth is 20 m.[6] This species usually feeds on Eudendrium arbuscula, a hydroid in the family Eudendriidae.[3]

References
  1. Alder, J., & A. Hancock. 1843. Notice of a British species of Calliopaea, D'Orbigny, and of four new species of Eolis, with observations on the development and structure of the nudibranchiate Mollusca. Annals & Magazine of Natural History 12(28):233-238.
  2. MolluscaBase (2018). Carronella pellucida (Alder & Hancock, 1843). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2018-04-17.
  3. Picton, B.E. & Morrow, C.C. (2015). Flabellina pellucida (Alder & Hancock, 1843). [In] Encyclopedia of Marine Life of Britain and Ireland. Accessed on 2015-3-25
  4. Flabellina pellucida (Alder & Hancock, 1843). Encyclopedia of Life. Accessed on July 5, 2012
  5. "MarLIN - The Marine Life Information Network - Milky-white sea slug (Carronella pellucida)". www.marlin.ac.uk. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  6. 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.
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