Roxaniella multistriata (Schepman, 1913)

Description

A small cephalaspidean with a shell about 10 mm long. The soft body is translucent grey, scattered overall with fine white spots. The shell itself is glossy, translucent white and thin. The thin layer of mantle covering the shell bears irregular brown patches.

The species lives half-buried in sand and sand-mud bottoms and burrows into the sediment when disturbed.

Distribution

A tropical to subtropical species with a wide distribution across the Indian Ocean, western and central Pacific and the South Atlantic. It occurs on shallow to moderately deep sand bottoms.

Etymology

The specific epithet multistriata combines Latin multus ("many") and striatus ("striped, ribbed"), meaning "with many fine striae", in reference to the fine spiral grooves on the shell surface.

Remarks

The Japanese vernacular name "Amime-tamago-gai" was proposed in Nakano 2017 "A faunistic report on opisthobranch molluscs from the northern coastal waters of Amami-Ōshima" (Kuroshio Biosphere). The genus Roxaniella Monterosato, 1884 is allied to Roxania Leach, 1847 and comprises small shelled cephalaspideans with a broad distribution including the Mediterranean and Atlantic.

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References

• Roxaniella multistriata (genus Roxaniella), Monterosato T.A. di (1884). Nomenclatura generica e specifica di alcune conchiglie mediterranee. Palermo: Stabilimento Tipografico Virzì. 152 pp.
• Atys multistriatus, Terrence Gosliner, Ángel Valdés and David Behrens. (2015). Nudibranch and Sea Slug Identification Indo-Pacific. New World Pubns Inc.
• アミメタマゴガイ（新称）, 中野理枝, 朝倉知子, 池田紫, 石川雅教, 今本淳, 岩瀬南美, 西田和記, 堀江諒, 山田久子 & 渡井久美. (2017). 奄美大島北部海域における後鰓類相の調査報告. Kuroshio Biosphere. 13: 1-18 + 6 pls.
• Roxaniella multistriata, Oskars T.R. & Malaquias M.A.E. (2019). A molecular phylogeny of the Indo-West Pacific species of Haloa sensu lato gastropods (Cephalaspidea: Haminoeidae): Tethyan vicariance, generic diversity, and ecological specialization. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 139: 106557. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2019.106557