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
Family
Baenopsis
fam. n.
Diagnosis.
Body relatively wide. Notal edge discontinuous. Cerata in separate clusters on broad extensions. Rhinophores perfoliated or granulated. Anus pleuroproctic under reduced notal edge. No distinct oral glands. Radula formula 1.1.1. Rachidian teeth usually with cusp compressed by adjacent lateral denticles. Lateral teeth narrow or with attenuated process basally, denticulated or smooth. Single distal receptaculum seminis. Vas deferens long, with or without distinct prostate. External permanent penial collar absent. Penis elongated conical, internal unarmed.
Genera included.
Baenopsis
gen. n.,
Flabellinopsis
MacFarland, 1966.
Remarks.
One of the unexpected results of the present molecular analysis is the most basal position of the species
Flabellina iodinea
(Cooper, 1863) in relation to the families
Paracoryphellidae
,
Coryphellidae
, and
Flabellinidae
(Figs 1, 2). This is prima facie not very consistent with the morphological data since
F. iodinea
is similar to the members of the family
Flabellinidae
s. str. as it possesses a medium-sized body with cerata on lateral extensions. However, this may be a case of morphological convergence since
F. iodinea
's relatively broad, flap-like lateral modifications of the notal edge and absence of distinct oral glands is different from the majority of the
Flabellinidae
s. str. Furthermore, the vas deferens in
F. iodinea
is considerably longer than in the taxa of the
Flabellinidae
s. str. On all trees obtained,
Flabellina iodinea
invariably appears most basally and separate from all other families. Therefore, in this case our results speak for preference of the molecular data in revealing the very separate position of this particular taxon. It is most likely that the
Flabellina
-like external appearance has evolved in
F. iodinea
independently from
Flabellinidae
s. str. by parallel modifications of a continuous ancestral notal edge into flap-like ceratal structures. We therefore resurrect the genus
Flabellinopsis
MacFarland, 1966, which was previously proposed for the species
Aeolis
(
Phidiana
?)
iodinea
Cooper, 1863. On the present molecular tree, the NE Pacific
Flabellinopsis iodinea
clustered together with a NE Atlantic
species
, "
Flabellina
"
baetica
Garcia-Gomez, 1984, in the same clade (Figs 1, 2, 7). The NE Atlantic species has ceratal and reproductive morphology somewhat similar to the genus
Flabellinopsis
but possesses very peculiar folded and granulated rhinophores and smooth lateral teeth (Garcia-Gomez 1984). Therefore, rather than uniting it into the genus
Flabellinopsis
making that morphologically not very consistent, we propose a separate new genus for
Flabellina baetica
(see below). The diversity of the family
Flabellinopsidae
fam. n. is more considerable than currently understood. On our tree, an undetermined species of "
Piseinotecus
" sp. appeared as possibly related to this family (Fig. 1). Furthermore,
Furfaro et al. (2017)
have shown that "
Piseinotecus
" soussi Tamsouri, Carmona, Moukrim and Cervera, 2014 (original description in
Tamsouri et al. 2014
) has appeared basally to "
Flabellina
"
baetica
and
Facelina quatrefagesi
(
Vayssiere
, 1888). Further investigations need to be made on these taxa.