Polyphyly of the traditional family Flabellinidae affects a major group of Nudibranchia: aeolidacean taxonomic reassessment with descriptions of several new families, genera, and species (Mollusca, Gastropoda)
Author
Korshunova, Tatiana
Author
Martynov, Alexander
Author
Bakken, Torkild
Author
Evertsen, Jussi
Author
Fletcher, Karin
Author
Mudianta, I Wayan
Author
Saito, Hiroshi
Author
Lundin, Kennet
Author
Michael Schroedl,
Author
Picton, Bernard
text
ZooKeys
2017
717
1
139
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.717.21885
journal article
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.717.21885
1313-2970-717-1
C19B43B1B3214CB1B1B2A246CEAC56BC
C19B43B1B3214CB1B1B2A246CEAC56BC
Piseinotecus Er. Marcus, 1955
Figs 2, 34
Type species.
Piseinotecus divae
Er. Marcus, 1955.
Diagnosis.
Body narrow. Notal ridge fully reduced. Cerata on low compound stalks. Rhinophores smooth, similar in size to oral tentacles. Anterior foot corners present. Anus pleuroproctic. Rachidian teeth with non-compressed cusp and distinct denticles. Lateral teeth absent. Proximal receptaculum seminis. Short vas deferens with distinct prostate. Penis conical.
Species included.
Piseinotecus divae
Er. Marcus, 1955 (original description in
Marcus 1955
),
Piseinotecus
(?)
sphaeriferus
(Schmekel, 1965) (original description in
Schmekel 1965
).
Remarks.
The genus
Piseinotecus
is commonly considered to belong to a separate family
Piseinotecidae
Edmunds, 1970 because of the presence of a uniserial radula instead of the triserial radula common for traditional
Flabellinidae
. However, external features, including the presence of compound ceratal stalks in the type species of the genus
Piseinotecus
,
P. divae
, and the other species (e.g.,
P. sphaeriferus
) suggest a relationship to
Flabellina
. Preliminary data suggest that this genus is deeply nested within the traditional family
Flabellinidae
(
Gosliner et al. 2007
;
Tamsouri et al. 2014
). This is confirmed by our analysis (Figs 1, 2) and therefore we have considered
Piseinotecus
a genus within the family
Flabellinidae
s. str., after removal of the families
Coryphellidae
,
Paracoryphellidae
, and others. While this paper was under review an analysis was published (
Furfaro et al. 2017
) that at least some species previously considered within the genus
Piseinotecus
(i.e., "
P.
"
gabinierei
and "
P.
" gaditanus) actually possess a triserial radula and thus must be firmly included into the family
Flabellinidae
in its restricted sense. There are more undescribed species of the putative genus
Piseinotecus
that appear within some clades which are not closely related, e.g.,
Flabellinopsidae
fam. n. (see above) (Fig. 2). Because of that and also since there are no molecular data for the type species
P. divae
, the validity and monophyly of this genus still needs to be confirmed. Therefore, until molecular data on the type species
P. divae
becomes available, we consider the genus
Piseinotecus
only tentatively as belonging to the family
Flabellinidae
s. str. According to the first description (
Marcus 1955
)
P. divae
has no distinct oral glands but has rather strong cusp of rachidian tooth. These features contradict to the diagnosis of the family
Flabellinidae
s. str. but still need to be confirmed by novel material. Since the Mediterranean "
P.
"
gabinierei
is closely related to
Paraflabellina ishitana
(Fig. 1) we include "
P.
"
gabinierei
into the genus
Paraflabellina
(see above). Another species "
P.
" gaditanus is nested within
Calmella
clade and therefore assigned to that genus. Whether the triserial radula has been overlooked in the type species
P. divae
or not is currently unclear. Therefore
Piseinotecus
is not synonymised in the present study with any existing genera, but awaits assignment until more data becomes available. In addition, based on the morphological data we do not include species without ceratal stalks in the genus
Piseinotecus
or species with more disparate ceratal and radular morphology, such as "
Piseinotecus
"
gonja
Edmunds, 1970 and "
Piseinotecus
"
minipapilla
Edmunds, 2015 (
Edmunds 1970
,
2015
).