Aplysia japonica G. B. Sowerby II, 1869
Description
Animal elongate, wider in the visceral region, narrowing gradually towards the head and tail; visceral hump proportionally very large, elongate, well differentiated from the rest of the body, occupying more than 1/3 of the body length; mantle foramen large, oval, on the posterior left side of the visceral hump, not elevated; parapodia broad, fused posteriorly, typically joined anteriorly, forming several folds; rhinophores and oral tentacles relatively short, enrolled, with small projections on the oral tentacles; siphon wide, relatively short, protruding slightly above the parapodia. Colour reddish to brown, with white dots aggregated in clusters; parapodia edged in red, with a broad submarginal black band, often with white dots; rhinophore and oral tentacle tips red with a submarginal black area dotted in white; mantle foramen with a dark inner edge.Distribution
Endemic to the temperate western Pacific, known from Japan (Hokkaido southwards) and Korea. The type locality is given simply as 'Japan Seas' in the original description, with no specific locality data.Etymology
The specific epithet japonica is Latin for 'of Japan', referring to the origin of the type material described by G. B. Sowerby II in 1869.Remarks
For more than a century, Aplysia japonica was treated as a synonym of the widespread Aplysia parvula Mörch, 1863. Recent molecular and morphological revision of the A. parvula complex resurrected A. japonica for the temperate western Pacific populations from Japan and Korea, which are genetically distinct from all other species in the complex. Aplysia sieboldiana Clessin, 1899 — a replacement name proposed for the junior homonym Aplysia japonica Clessin, 1899, based on a specimen from Hakodate, Hokkaido — is also placed in the synonymy of A. japonica.References
- Aplysia japonica n.sp., Sowerby G.B. II (1869). Monograph of the genus Aplysia. In: Reeve L.A. (ed.), Conchologia Iconica, or, Illustrations of the shells of molluscous animals, vol. 17. L. Reeve & Co., London. [August 1869]
- くろへりあめふらし（新稱）, 内田清之助ほか. (1927). 日本動物圖鑑. 北隆館.
- クロヘリアメフラシ, Baba K. (1949). Opisthobranchia of Sagami Bay collected by His Majesty the Emperor of Japan (相模湾産後鰓類図譜). Iwanami Shoten, Tokyo. 4+2+194+7 pp., pls. 1-50.
- Aplysia parvula Morch Kuroheri-amefurashi, Baba, K. 1957. A revised list of the species of Opisthobranchia from the northern part of Japan, with some additional descriptions. J. Fac. Sci., Hokkaido Univ.,ser. 6, Zool. 13(1-4):8-14.
- クロヘリアメフラシ, 高岡高等学校生物研究会(編). (1964). 富山湾産後鰓類図譜.
- クロヘリアメフラシ, 益田一. (1999). 海洋生物ガイドブック. 東海大学出版会.
- クロヘリアメフラシ, 益田一. (1999). 海洋生物ガイドブック. 第2刷. 東海大学出版会.
- 高岡生物研究会. (2002). 日本海のウミウシ. 第2版.
- クロヘリアメフラシ, 中野理枝. (2018). 日本のウミウシ. 文一総合出版.
- Golestani H., Crocetta F., Padula V., Camacho-García Y., Langeneck J., Poursanidis D., Pola M., yokeş M.B., Cervera J.L., Jung D.W., Gosliner T.M., Araya J.F., Hooker Y., schrödl M. & valdés Á. (2019). The little Aplysia coming of age: from one species to a complex of species complexes in Aplysia parvula (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Heterobranchia). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 187(2): 279-330. https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz028
Featured in this book
中野理枝. (2019). 日本のウミウシ. 第二版. 文一総合出版.
文一総合出版
This species, Aplysia japonica, is included in the book.
View on Amazon PR (Amazon Associates)Seasonality
Shooting Locations
Loading shooting locations...
Photos of Aplysia japonica
Tag:
Same Genus Nudibranchs
Similar Colors Nudibranchs
Academic Database
Sea slug observation data is available in international marine biodiversity databases.