Английская Википедия:Aiteng ater
Шаблон:Short description Шаблон:Speciesbox
Aiteng ater is a species of sea slug, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Aitengidae.[1] The specific name ater is from the Latin language and means black, in reference to the appearance of the slug on the mud.[1]
Aiteng ater was chosen by the International Institute for Species Exploration of Arizona State University to be one of the "Top 10 New Species described in 2009".[2]
Distribution
The distribution of Aiteng ater includes Thailand. The type locality is 8°29'18" N, 100°10'55" E, Amphoe Pak Phanang, Pak Phanang Bay, in the Gulf of Thailand.[1]
Description
The size of the body is 8–12 mm.[1] The shape of the body is elongate, but broad.[1] The color of the slug is from grey to black.[1] The eyes are the only externally clearly visible feature on its head.
Aiteng ater has an unusual combination of morphological characters:
- Reduction of mantle cavity[3]
- Prepharyngeal (circumpharyngeal) nerve ring[3]
- The presence of ascus[3] However, re-examination of the supposed "ascus" in Aiteng ater is necessary, because an examination of an undescribed species Aitengidae sp. from Japan showed no true (i.e. sacoglossan-like) ascus containing old teeth, just a radula slightly bent at the end.[3]
- Uniseriate radula (radula with a descending and ascending limb)[3]
- The radula has a strong rhachidian tooth[3]
- The large, internal lateral eyes closely associated with the cerebral ganglia[3]
- The presence of a foot groove[3]
- A branched digestive gland.[3]
This species lacks several acochlidian characteristics:
- It has no shell[1]
- No tentacles[1]
- No gills[1]
- No cerata[1]
- It lacks the division of the body into head-foot complex and visceral hump[3]
- It lacks presence of 1–2 head appendages (with characteristic innervation of the rhinophores)[3]
- Tt lacks the ability to retract the head-foot complex into the visceral hump.[3]
Aiteng ater has a notum with a free margin.[1] However, in the absence of a separated visceral hump, Aiteng ater is able to retract its head under the frontal part of the notum.[3]
Ecology
Aiteng ater is an amphibious species which lives in mangrove forests in the intertidal zone, on the mud.[1] It lives "amphibiously", and tolerates marine to brackish waters, but there are no observations of these animals truly leaving the water.[3][1]
Aiteng ater feeds on insects, (is insectivorous).[1] In the laboratory it has been observed to eat pupae of beetles (Coleoptera), pupae of Lepidoptera, imagos of mosquitos and larvae of ants.[1]
Inside the bodies of individuals of Aiteng ater, there were found to be white elongated endoparasites; these are as yet unstudied.[1] However the "parasites" described for Aiteng ater might represent spicules instead,[3] because the presence of spicules is confirmed for the undescribed species Aitengidae sp. from Japan.[3]
References
This article incorporates CC-BY-2.0 text from Jörger et al. 2010.[3] Шаблон:Reflist
- ↑ 1,00 1,01 1,02 1,03 1,04 1,05 1,06 1,07 1,08 1,09 1,10 1,11 1,12 1,13 1,14 1,15 Ошибка цитирования Неверный тег
<ref>; для сносокSwennen 2009не указан текст - ↑ "Top 10 New Species – 2010" Шаблон:Webarchive ."Top 10 – 2010 Bug-eating Slug" Шаблон:Webarchive. accessed 29 November 2010.
- ↑ 3,00 3,01 3,02 3,03 3,04 3,05 3,06 3,07 3,08 3,09 3,10 3,11 3,12 3,13 3,14 3,15 3,16 Jörger K. M., Stöger I., Kano Y., Fukuda H., Knebelsberger T. & Schrödl M. (2010). "On the origin of Acochlidia and other enigmatic euthyneuran gastropods, with implications for the systematics of Heterobranchia". BMC Evolutionary Biology 10: 323. Шаблон:Doi.
