Clione okhotensis

Clione okhotensis is a species of sea angel, a pelagic marine gastropod (sea slug) in the family Clionidae.[1]

Clione okhotensis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Heterobranchia
Clade: Euopisthobranchia
Family: Clionidae
Genus: Clione
Species:
C. okhotensis
Binomial name
Clione okhotensis
Yamazaki & Kuwahara, 2017

Distribution

The only known localities of Clione okhotensis are in the southern Sea of Okhotsk[2] and the Kuril–Kamchatka Trench area[3] in the western Pacific Ocean. It has been found at depths of 0.3 to 1.5 m (1 ft 0 in to 4 ft 11 in) below the surface of the water. Its distribution overlaps with those of C. limacina and C. elegantissima, two separate species of the same genus found in the North Pacific.[3][4]

Description

Clione okhotensis only reaches up to 0.8 cm (0.3 in) in body length, making the species substantially smaller than most other Clione species, such as C. limacina, which has a body length of up to 3 cm (1.2 in) in comparison. The species is considered paedomorphic, as adults retain many juvenile characteristics upon maturing.[2] As a result, Clione okhotensis strongly resemble and were previously mistaken for juvenile C. limacina.[3]

Like all Clione species, Clione okhotensis is characterized by a translucent body revealing a bright orange-red visceral mass that occupies much of the upper middle body. Its mouth is represented by a radula with buccal cones and chitinous hooks for predation.[5] Although most Clione species utilize buccal cones for predation, the buccal cones of Clione okhotensis are much smaller than those of other species and are not utilized in predatorial behavior.[2]

Ecology

Clione okhotensis inhabits cold, shallow waters of the Sea of Okhotsk. It is a specialized predator of Limacina helicina, a species of sea snail.[2] Like C. limacina, it utilizes chitinous hooks to secure its prey and swallow it whole.[5] Although its buccal cones are unused in predation, they are still visibly retracted and extended during attempt behavior.[2] During searching behavior, it excretes a sticky fluid and swims with its body elongated and stretched out, characteristics of predatorial behavior that are uniquely not present in C. limacina.[2] A known predator of Clione species is the pink salmon.[6] Though the direct effects of global warming on Clione okhotensis have yet to be evaluated, its populations could be negatively impacted by a decline in the populations of its primary prey, Limacina helicina, which is extremely vulnerable to ocean acidification due to its aragonitic (calcium carbonate) shell.[6][7]

References

  1. "Clione okhotensis (Yamazaki & Kumahara, 2017)". WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  2. Yamazaki, Tomoyasu; Kuwahara, Takashi (2017-02-01). "A new species of Clione distinguished from sympatric C. limacina (Gastropoda: Gymnosomata) in the southern Okhotsk Sea, Japan, with remarks on the taxonomy of the genus". Journal of Molluscan Studies. 83 (1): 19–26. doi:10.1093/mollus/eyw032. ISSN 0260-1230.
  3. Kohnert, P. C.; Cerwenka, A. F.; Brandt, A.; Schrödl, M. (2020-02-01). "Pteropods from the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench and the sea of Okhotsk (Euopisthobranchia; Gastropoda)". Progress in Oceanography. 181: 102259. Bibcode:2020PrOce.18102259K. doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2019.102259. ISSN 0079-6611. S2CID 214087728.
  4. Yamazaki, Tomoyasu; Kuwahara, Takashi; Takahashi, Kunio T. (2018-10-01). "Genetic Differences in Spatially and Temporally Isolated Populations: Winter and Spring Populations of Pelagic Mollusk Clione (Mollusk: Gymnosomata), Southern Okhotsk Sea, Japan". Thalassas: An International Journal of Marine Sciences. 34 (2): 447–458. doi:10.1007/s41208-018-0092-z. ISSN 2366-1674. S2CID 89979096.
  5. Hermans, C. O.; Satterlie, R. A. (1992-02-01). "Fast-Strike Feeding Behavior in a Pteropod Mollusk, Clione limacina Phipps". The Biological Bulletin. 182 (1): 1–7. doi:10.2307/1542175. ISSN 0006-3185. JSTOR 1542175. PMID 29304712. S2CID 36543858.
  6. 友資, 山崎 (2019). "博物館活動から発信する地球温暖化問題クリオネを入口としたサイエンスサービス". Nippon Suisan Gakkaishi 日本水産学会誌 (in Japanese). 85 (1): 97–101. doi:10.2331/suisan.WA2588.
  7. Comeau, S.; Gorsky, G.; Jeffree, R.; Teyssié, J.-L.; Gattuso, J.-P. (2009-09-04). "Impact of ocean acidification on a key Arctic pelagic mollusc (Limacina helicina)". Biogeosciences. 6 (9): 1877–1882. Bibcode:2009BGeo....6.1877C. doi:10.5194/bg-6-1877-2009. ISSN 1726-4170.
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