Flabellina affinis (Gmelin, 1791)

Description

A small aeolid nudibranch reaching about 50 mm in length. The body is bright violet to purple. The dorsum carries dense cerata; each ceras is filled with opaque purple digestive gland that hides any structure within, and ends in a clean white tip — the striking contrast against the purple body. The rhinophores and oral tentacles are also purple.

Distribution

Originally described from Mediterranean material (presumably near Marseille). Common throughout the Mediterranean and extends along the eastern Atlantic from Portugal to the Canary Islands and Ghana. Inhabits rocky reefs down to about 50 m depth.

Etymology

The specific epithet affinis is Latin for "related" or "similar".

Remarks

Feeds primarily on hydroids of the genus Eudendrium. One of the most commonly seen aeolids in the Mediterranean.

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References

• Doris affinis, Gmelin J.F. (1791). Vermes. In: Caroli a Linné Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Editio decima tertia, aucta, reformata. Tome 1(6). Lipsiae [Leipzig]: G. E. Beer.
• Flabellina affinis (Gmelin, 1791) (original description in Gmelin 1791; detailed redescription in Schulze and Wägele 1998)., Korshunova T., Martynov A., Bakken T., Evertsen J., Fletcher K., Mudianta I.W., Saito H., Lundin K., Schrödl M. & Picton B. (2017). 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). ZooKeys. 717: 1-139. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.717.21885
• Flabellina affinis, Furfaro G., Salvi D., Mancini E. & Mariottini P. (2018). A multilocus view on Mediterranean aeolid nudibranchs (Mollusca): systematics and cryptic diversity of Flabellinidae and Piseinotecidae. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 118: 13-22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2017.09.001