The little Aplysia coming of age: from one species to a complex of species complexes in Aplysia parvula (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Heterobranchia)
Author
Golestani, Haleh
Author
Crocetta, Fabio
Author
Padula, Vinicius
Author
Camacho-García, Yolanda
Author
Langeneck, Joachim
Author
Poursanidis, Dimitris
Author
Pola, Marta
Author
Yokeş, M. Baki
Author
Cervera, Juan Lucas
Author
Jung, Dae-Wui
Author
Gosliner, Terrence M.
Author
Araya, Juan Francisco
Author
Hooker, Yuri
Author
Schrödl, Michael
Author
Valdés, Ángel
text
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society
2019
187
279
330
journal article
0024-4082
3A70B56-000D-4974-AAC6-F1B198C86BC4
APLYSIA
INTERMEDIA
FARRAN
, 1905
Aplysia intermedia
Farran, 1905: 351
, pl. 4, fig. 8.
Type locality:
‘
Ceylon’
(=
Sri Lanka
).
Holotype
:
NHMUK 5553529, not examined.
Remarks
Farran (1905)
described
Aplysia intermedia
based on a single specimen from
Sri Lanka
. The live animal was described as green, greyish, preserved. The mantle foramen was large, but did not have a black edge, and the parapodia were described as long and free. The tentacles were large, produced anteriorly into broad labial flaps. The radular teeth were illustrated and briefly described.
Eales (1960)
considered
A. intermedia
as a synonym of
A. parvula
.
While it is clear that
A. intermedia
belongs to
A. parvula
s.l.
, we are unable to determine to what species and, therefore, we regard
A. intermedia
a
taxon inquirendum
. Based on the original description (specifically the large mantle foramen with no black outline, the large parapodia, the broad labial flaps, and the reduced number of radular outer teeth), it could belong to
Aplysia ghanimii
, which is represented in the Indian Ocean, but this cannot be confirmed with certainty due to the absence of molecular data.