Aiteng ater is a species of sea slug, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Aitengidae.[2] The specific name ater is from the Latin language and means black, in reference to the appearance of the slug on the mud.[2]
Aiteng ater | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Gastropoda |
Subclass: | Heterobranchia |
Family: | Aitengidae |
Genus: | Aiteng |
Species: | A. ater
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Binomial name | |
Aiteng ater |
Aiteng ater was chosen by the International Institute for Species Exploration of Arizona State University to be one of the "Top 10 New Species described in 2009".[3]
The distribution of Aiteng ater includes Thailand. The type locality is 8°29'18" N, 100°10'55" E, Amphoe Pak Phanang, Pak Phanang Bay, in the Gulf of Thailand.[2]
The size of the body is 8–12 mm.[2] The shape of the body is elongate, but broad.[2] The color of the slug is from grey to black.[2] The eyes are the only externally clearly visible feature on its head.
Aiteng ater has an unusual combination of morphological characters:
This species lacks several acochlidian characteristics:
Aiteng ater has a notum with a free margin.[2] However, in the absence of a separated visceral hump, Aiteng ater is able to retract its head under the frontal part of the notum.[4]
Aiteng ater is an amphibious species which lives in mangrove forests in the intertidal zone, on the mud.[2] It lives "amphibiously", and tolerates marine to brackish waters, but there are no observations of these animals truly leaving the water.[4][2]
Aiteng ater feeds on insects, (is insectivorous).[2] In the laboratory it has been observed to eat pupae of beetles (Coleoptera), pupae of Lepidoptera, imagos of mosquitos and larvae of ants.[2]
Inside the bodies of individuals of Aiteng ater, there were found to be white elongated endoparasites; these are as yet unstudied.[2] However the "parasites" described for Aiteng ater might represent spicules instead,[4] because the presence of spicules is confirmed for the undescribed species Aitengidae sp. from Japan.[4]
This article incorporates CC-BY-2.0 text from Jörger et al. 2010.[4]