Morphological re-description of Aplysia depilans (Gastropoda: Anaspidea): new insights into the anatomy of the anaspideans

Autor(es)

Cunha, Carlo M. ^[1] ; Simone, Luiz Ricardo L. ^[2]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Univ Metropolitana Santos, Ave Conselheiro Nebias 536, BR-11045002 Santos, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Museu Zool, Ave Nazare 481, BR-04263000 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom; v. 99, n. 3, p. 595-610, MAY 2019.
• Citações Web of Science: 2

Resumo

Although Aplysia depilans is a widely known European species and the type species of the genus, the distinctions that separate it from other related congeners are not entirely clear. Aimed at improving this scenario, a detailed morphological description is performed herein, showing some unprecedented and useful features. Based on our anatomical examination, this study has found the opaline gland to be dark in colour, as well as a metapodium with an indistinctly delimited pedal sucker, a crop divided into two equal chambers of similar volume by a circular muscle, gizzard plates arranged in groups, and a peculiar penial sheath structure. All of these characters appear to be significantly different from the other species, based on a review of the anatomical literature and several examined samples of ongoing studies. Our central objective is to provide new data on the anatomy of the type species of Aplysiidae; and, based on topological evidence, to propose a new terminology and possible homologies to some important characters, such as parapodia lobation, cephalic tentacles, crop, penial sheath, gizzard plates and visceral ganglion in anaspideans, for future phylogenetic analysis. The subgenus Subaplysia Medina, Collins \& Walsh, 2005 is regarded as a junior synonym of subgenus Aplysia Linnaeus, 1767. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 10/11253-9 - Análise filogenética de Aplysiomorpha (Mollusca, Opisthobranchia), com base em morfologia comparada, e revisão sistemática das espécies brasileiras
• Beneficiário: Carlo Magenta Cunha
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Pós-Doutorado