Pseudunela viatoris
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Pseudunela viatoris | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A live Pseudunela viatoris hf – head-foot complex. | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Family: | Pseudunelidae |
| Genus: | Pseudunela |
| Species: | P. viatoris |
| Binomial name | |
| Pseudunela viatoris Neusser, Jörger & Schrödl, 2011[1] | |
Pseudunela viatoris is a species of sea slug, an acochlidian, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusc in the family Pseudunelidae.
The specific name viatoris is after the Latin word “viator” (engl. pilgrim/voyager) according to its supposed ability to travel over long distances.[1]
Pseudunela viatoris is known from Viti Levu, Fiji and Gili Lawa Laut, Indonesia.[1] The type locality is Fiji, Viti Levu, Laucala Bay, Nukumbutho Island, GPS: 18°10.47′S, 178°28.34′E.[1]
Description
lt – labial tentacle,
rh – rhinophore,
ey – eye,
hb – heart bulb,
dg – digestive gland,
vh – visceral hump.
The body size of living specimens of Pseudunela viatoris is 3–4 mm.[1] The body is divided into an anterior head-foot complex and a posterior elongated visceral hump.[1] The paired labial tentacles are broad at the base and taper to the end.[1] The rhinophores are tapered and shorter and thinner than the labial tentacles.[1] The densely ciliated foot is as broad as the anterior head-foot complex and extends about one third of the elongated visceral hump.[1] The heart bulb is visible externally in the anterior part of the visceral hump on the right body side.[1] Subepidermal, needle-shaped calcareous spicules are sparsely distributed in the cephalic tentacles, the foot and the visceral hump; in the anterior part of the latter they are larger than in the posterior part.[1] The body colour is whitish translucent, the digestive gland is brownish coloured (in specimens from Indonesia: orange-brownish shining through the epidermis).[1] Epidermal glands are distributed particularly over the visceral hump.[1] Whereas eyes are not visible externally in specimens from Fiji, eyes are weakly visible in some specimens from Indonesia.[1] Eye diameter is 30-35 μm.[1]
ot – oral tube,
cns – central nervous system,
ph – pharynx,
vd – vas deferens,
bf – basal finger,
p – penis,
pr – prostate,
pc – pericardium,
f – foot,
k – kidney,
alg – albumen gland,
ov – ovotestis,
vh – visceral hump,
dg – digestive gland.
Nervous system, digestive system, circulatory system, excretory system and reproductive system are described by Neusser et al. (2011) in detail.[1]
