Notes on Melibe leonina [Gould] 



H. P. Kjerskog-Agersborg 

 Long Island College Hospital, Brooklyn, New York 



The genus Melibe (Rang) together with Tethys (Linn.) constitute 

 the family tethymelibidae, which forms one of the numerous groups of 

 family rank in the suborder nudibranchiata of the opisthobranchiate mol- 

 lusks. The families most closely related to the tethymelibidae are the 

 eolidae, lomanotidae^ and dotonidae. 



The type of the genus Melibe was discovered at the Cape of Good 

 Hope and was described by Rang in 1829. Since that time 11 species have 

 been added by various authors. In 1852 Gould described Melibe leonina 

 from Puget Sound, founding for it the genus Chioraera, now merged with 

 Melibe. 



Bergh has been the most voluminous writer upon this branch of the 

 mollusks. In a series of publications extending over the period from 

 1871 to 1907 he completely revolutionized the classification of the nudi- 

 branchiata, creating many new families and genera and describing numerous 

 species. He united the families Tethidae and Melibidae of Alder and Han- 

 cock (1845, 1861) into one, and removed Tethys and Melibe from the 

 comprehensive family tritoniadae of Gould (1852), and Tryon (1883), 

 and united them to constitute the present family tethymelibidae. 

 He also gave careful attention to the broad classification of the 

 major groups, dividing the nudibranchs into two sections, the kladohepatica 

 and the holohepatica porostomata, the tritoniadae serving as a connecting 

 link between the two series. In the kladohepatica he recognized 11 families 

 in bringing the species into systematic correlation. Although the work of 

 Bergh was primarily systematic he based his work on rather extensive mor- 

 phological studies, and laid an excellent foundation for subsequent more 

 intensive investigations in the groups with which he dealt. In all he added 

 6 species to the genus Melibe: M. rangii, M. capucina, M. vexillifera, M. 

 ocellata, M. bucephala and M. pelliicida. The last mentioned was erected 

 on a specimen taken on the coast of Washington, near the mouth of the 

 Columbia River. His descriptions indicate such a close similarity between 

 M. pellucida and M. leonina that it may be questioned whether M. pellucida 

 ir. entitled to specific rank ; material from the type locality may be neces- 

 sary to settle this point. 



Other workers in this field were Alder and Hancock (1845 and 1864) 

 who described Melibe fimbriata; Pease (1860), Angas (1864) and Dc 



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