Aiteng
Genus of gastropods
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Aiteng is a genus comprising three species of sea slug, A. ater and A. mysticus being found in intertidal zones while A. marefugitus is fully terrestrial.[1][2][3] Aiteng is the only genus in the family Aitengidae. The generic name Aiteng is derived from the name of a black puppet Ai Theng, which is one of the shadow play (Nang yai) puppets in southern Thailand.[1]
| Aiteng | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Family: | Aitengidae Swennen & Buatip, 2009[1] |
| Genus: | Aiteng Swennen & Buatip, 2009[1] |
Taxonomy
Swennen & Buatip (2009)[1] tentatively classified Aitengidae within the Sacoglossa,[1] but they noted that some characteristics of the nervous system are similar to those of the Cephalaspidea and Acochlidioidea (mentioned as Acochlidea).[1]
Aitengidae clusters within the Hedylopsacea as sister group to Pseudunelidae and Acochlidiidae or basal within Hedylopsacea.[4] Philippe Bouchet (2010)[5] classified Aitengidae within the superfamily Hedylopsoidea.[5]
Species
Species in the genus Aiteng include:
- Aiteng ater Swennen & Buatip, 2009[1]
- Aiteng mysticus Neusser, Fukuda, Jörger, Kano & Schrödl, 2011[2][6] – This species was found in Hisamatsu, Miyako Island, Okinawa, Japan.[4] Morphologically it clearly belongs to the Aitengidae, but shows differences to Aiteng ater at genus or species level.[4] Its affinity to Aiteng ater is confirmed by comparison of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA sequences.[4]
- Aiteng marefugitus Kano, Neusser, Fukumori, Jörger & Schrödl, 2015 - species of sea slug that, remarkably, became terrestrial during the Cenozoic.[3]
Distribution
Ecology
Aiteng ater lives "amphibiously" in mangrove forests in the intertidal zone, on the mud.[1]