Can you find me? A new sponge-like nudibranch from the genus Jorunna Bergh, 1876 (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Discodorididae)

By

Tibirica, Yara
Strömvoll, Jenny
Cervera Currado, Juan Lucas

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2023

Original Publication

Zoosystematics and evolution

Volume

99

Series / Issue

Issue: 1

Pages

63--75

Subjects

Biodiversity , Heterobranchia , Mozambique , new species , Phylogeny , sea slugs

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia Pensoft

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.99.95222

 

Abstract

The nudibranch diversity of the western Indian Ocean is comparatively one of the least studied in the world. In this paper a sponge-like Discodoridae nudibranch Jorunna liviae sp. nov. is described. The description is based on integrative anatomy, including molecular analysis of two genes (the mitochondrial COI and the nuclear H3), dissections, electron microscopy (SEM) of buccal elements, micro tomography of the spicule’s arrangements and ecological observations. This study provides the first ever molecular data of Jorunna species from the western Indian Ocean, helping to fill the gap to further understand this apparent paraphyletic genus.