Notaspidea

Summary

Notaspidea, also known as the sidegill slugs, is an artificial grouping of sea slugs which is now split into two unrelated groups, the Umbraculida and the Pleurobranchomorpha.[1]

Notaspidea
A live individual of Pleurobranchaea meckelii; the gill (or ctenidium) is visible in this view of the right-hand side of the animal
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Phylum:
Class:
Subclass:
Orthogastropoda (older classification)
Heterobranchia (new classification)
Order:
Opisthobranchia (older classification)
Suborder:
Notaspidea

Taxonomic history edit

Notaspidea, also known as the sidegill slugs, was a suborder which included both sea slugs and sea snails or false limpets, marine opisthobranch gastropod molluscs in the subclass Orthogastropoda. However, in the newer taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi (2005), the families Umbraculidae and Tylodinidae belong to the superfamily Umbraculoidea Dall, 1889, part of the clade Umbraculida. Grande et al. (2004) found Umbraculoidea to be a sister clade to the Cephalaspidea (Acteonoidea excluded).[2]

The families Tylodinidae and Umbraculidae have large limpet-like external shells and a small mantle, while the species in the family Pleurobranchidae have a prominent mantle and an internal shell that becomes reduced or is lost in adults.[3] Many species produce mantle secretions as a chemical defense against predators [4]

Families edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ Gofas, S. (2014). Notaspidea. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1754 on 2015-02-12
  2. ^ Grande C.; J. Templado; J.L. Cervera; R. Zardoya (2004). "Phylogenetic relationships among Opisthobranchia (Mollusca, Gastropoda) based on mitochondrial cox1, tmV, and rmL genes". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 33 (2): 378–388. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2004.06.008. PMID 15336672.
  3. ^ R. Willan (1987). "Phylogenetic systematics of the Notaspidea (Opisthobranchia) with a reappraisal of families and genera". Am. Malacol. Bull. 5: 215–241.
  4. ^ Aldo Spinella; Ernesto Mollo; Enrico Trivellone; Guido Cimino (December 1997). "Testudinariol A and B, two unusual triterpenoids from the skin and the mucus of the marine mollusc Pleurobrancus testudinarius". Tetrahedron. 53 (49): 16891–16896. doi:10.1016/S0040-4020(97)10124-7.

References edit