Morphological re-description of Aplysia depilans (Gastropoda: Anaspidea): new insights into the anatomy of the anaspideans
Cunha, C.M.; Simone, L.R.L. (2019). Morphological re-description of Aplysia depilans (Gastropoda: Anaspidea): new insights into the anatomy of the anaspideans. J. Mar. Biol. Ass. U.K. 99(3): 595-610. https://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0025315418000528
In: Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. Cambridge University Press/Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom: Cambridge. ISSN 0025-3154; e-ISSN 1469-7769, more
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| Authors | | Top |
- Cunha, C.M.
- Simone, L.R.L.
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| Abstract |
Although Aplysia depilans is a widely known European species and the type species of the genus, the distinctions that separate it from other related congeners are not entirely clear. Aimed at improving this scenario, a detailed morphological description is performed herein, showing some unprecedented and useful features. Based on our anatomical examination, this study has found the opaline gland to be dark in colour, as well as a metapodium with an indistinctly delimited pedal sucker, a crop divided into two equal chambers of similar volume by a circular muscle, gizzard plates arranged in groups, and a peculiar penial sheath structure. All of these characters appear to be significantly different from the other species, based on a review of the anatomical literature and several examined samples of ongoing studies. Our central objective is to provide new data on the anatomy of the type species of Aplysiidae; and, based on topological evidence, to propose a new terminology and possible homologies to some important characters, such as parapodia lobation, cephalic tentacles, crop, penial sheath, gizzard plates and visceral ganglion in anaspideans, for future phylogenetic analysis. The subgenus Subaplysia Medina, Collins & Walsh, 2005 is regarded as a junior synonym of subgenus Aplysia Linnaeus, 1767. |
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