Aiteng ater
Species of gastropod
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Family: | Aitengidae |
| Genus: | Aiteng |
| Species: | A. ater |
| 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]
Distribution
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]
Description
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:
- Reduction of mantle cavity[4]
- Prepharyngeal (circumpharyngeal) nerve ring[4]
- The presence of ascus[4] However, re-examination of the supposed "ascus" in Aiteng ater is necessary, because an examination of an undescribed species Aitengidae sp. from Japan showed no true (i.e. sacoglossan-like) ascus containing old teeth, just a radula slightly bent at the end.[4]
- Uniseriate radula (radula with a descending and ascending limb)[4]
- The radula has a strong rhachidian tooth[4]
- The large, internal lateral eyes closely associated with the cerebral ganglia[4]
- The presence of a foot groove[4]
- A branched digestive gland.[4]
This species lacks several acochlidian characteristics:
- It has no shell[2]
- No tentacles[2]
- No gills[2]
- No cerata[2]
- It lacks the division of the body into head-foot complex and visceral hump[4]
- It lacks presence of 1–2 head appendages (with characteristic innervation of the rhinophores)[4]
- Tt lacks the ability to retract the head-foot complex into the visceral hump.[4]
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]
Ecology
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]