Berthella californica
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Berthella californica | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Berthella californica in Point Lobos, Big Sur, California | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Order: | Pleurobranchida |
| Family: | Pleurobranchidae |
| Genus: | Berthella |
| Species: | B. californica |
| Binomial name | |
| Berthella californica (Dall, 1900) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Berthella californica is a species of sea slug, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Pleurobranchidae.
This species is distributed widely in the North Pacific Ocean, ranging from the Sea of Japan and Korea to the Galapagos Islands, including the Pacific coast from Ventura County, southern California, down to Panama and Baja California, Mexico.[1]
Habitat
B. californica is typically found in intertidal and subtidal zones, often on reefs or rocky substrates with algae, at depths ranging roughly from 25 m to 86 m. It tends to inhabit vertical reef surfaces offshore and can be found on red algae and rocks.[2]
Taxonomy
Berthella californica was originally described by W.H. Dall in 1900 as Pleurobranchus californicus based on specimens from San Pedro, California. Subsequent anatomical and molecular studies have confirmed its distinction from closely related species and suggested that B. californica is sister to the genus Berthellina, indicating potential future taxonomic revision.[3]
