Additions to the inventory of the sea slugs (Opisthobranchia and Sacoglossa) from Guadeloupe (Lesser Antilles, Caribbean Sea)

              Rev. Acad. Canar. Ciena, Vol. XXV, 163-194 (diciembre de 2013)
ADDITIONS TO THE INVENTORY OF THE SEA SLUGS
(OPISTHOBRANCHIA AND SACOGLOSSA) FROM GUADELOUPE
(LESSER ANTILLES, CARIBBEAN SEA)
J. Ortea 1
, J. Espinosa2
, Y. Buske3 & M. Caballer4
1 Departamento BOS, Universidad de Oviedo, Asturias, Spain
2 Instituto de Oceanologia, Avda. l
a
n° 18406, E. 184 y 186, Playa, Havana, Cuba
espinosa@oceano.inf.cu
3 Residence les Tuileries, entree Romane, Batiment B, Ap. 27 Rue des Ixoras, Martinique
4 Centro de Oceanologia y Estudios Antarticos. IVIC. Ctra. Panamericana Km 11, Miranda, Venezuela
manuelcaballergutierrez@hotmail.com
RESUMEN
Se presenta una lista sistematica de 23 especies de babosas marinas, 18 opistobran-quios
y 5 sacoglosos, recolectadas por primera vez en la isla de Guadalupe durante la mision
Karubenthos-2012 (mayo y diciembre de 2012). Adicionalmente, se describen 1 genero y 8
especies nuevas para la ciencia (6 opistobranquios y 2 sacoglosos). Con estas aportaciones el
inventario general alcanza las 149 especies, de las cuales 9 han sido de nueva descripcion.
Palabras claves: Mollusca, Opisthobranchia, Sacoglossa, isla de Guadalupe, mar Ca-ribe,
genero nuevo, especies nuevas.
ABSTRACT
A systematic list including 23 species of sea slugs, 18 opisthobranchia and 5 saco-glossa,
recorded for the first time in Guadeloupe Island, is herein presented. These species
were collected during the expedition Karubenthos-2012 (may and December 2012) hosted by
the National Museum of Natural History in Paris. Additionally, 1 new genus and 8 new species
(6 opisthobranchia and 2 sacoglossa) are described. With this contribution, the inventory of
the sea slugs from Guadeloupe raises to 149 species, 9 of them newly described.
Key words: Mollusca, Opisthobranchia, Sacoglossa, Guadaloupe island, Caribbean
sea, new genus, new species.
1. INTRODUCTION
The sea slugs from Guadeloupe have recently been revised by ORTEA, ESPINOSA,
CABALLER & BUSKE [11], who listed 127 species, 117 of which were collected on the ex-pedition
Karubenthos (may 2012) hosted by the National Museum of Natural History in Paris
(MNHN). Of these, 85 were new records for Guadeloupe and 1 was new for science.
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The second part of Karubcnthos took place in Guadeloupe in December 2012, a com-plementary
sampling designed to collect the remaining sea slugs not found in the main body of
the expedition, due to seasonality or because they are associated to habitats not sampled before.
As a result, 23 species not recorded before in the Archipelago have been captured, of whom, 8
are new to Science. This work deals with the actualization of the inventory of the sea slugs from
Guadeloupe and with the description of 1 new genus and several new species for science.
2. MATERIALS AND METHODS
The fieldwork took place in Guadeloupe, from December 3 rd to December 14th
, 2012.
The specimens were collected by direct search or, indirectly, by scraping, brushing or exam-ination
of algae or other subtracts collected by wading, snorkeling or scuba diving. A total of
21 stations (GR56-GR77) were visited, from the shore to 36 m depth. All samples were
processed onshore; placed in trays for examination and selection of specimens in a temporary
laboratory, installed by the MNHN in the Marine Biology facility of the Guyana University.
The original name of the stations in French, has been kept to avoid discrepancies with the
general list of stations of the expedition.
3. SYSTEMATICS
Additions to the inventory of species of Ortea etal. [11]
Subclase OPISTHOBRANCHIA
Order CEPHALASPIDEA
Family BULLIDAE Gray, 1827
Genus Bulla Linne, 1758
Bulla solida Bruguiere, 1792
One specimen alive on each of the following stations: GM05 (Bahie Mahault, La Manche a eau,
1 m); GM24 (Grand Cul Sac Marin, Banc-Frotte-ton-cul, 2 m); GR73 (Mangroves de Riviere, 0-1.5 m,
on sediments in seagrass meadows among the roots of magle). According to MALAQUIAS & REID [8],
Bulla striata Bruguiere, 1 792 is only present on the Eastern Atlantic, thus, all the records to this species
in Guadalupe must be rejected.
Order RUNCINACEA
Familia RUNCINIDAE H. & A. Adams, 1854
Genus Karukerina Ortea, new genus
Type species: Karukerina antola Ortea, new species.
Diagnosis: Body elongated, wider posteriorly. Foot rounded posteriorly. Internal shell pres-ent
and very weak. Gill wide, with the anus below. Anus stalked. Jaws triangular, with scales
and canes on the anterior end. Posterior end of the jaws thickened and smooth. Radula lack-ing
rachidean teeth (n x 1 .0. 1 ). Radular teeth simple, hook-shaped, intercrossing with the ones
on the other half. Four gastric plates.
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Etymology: Karukerina, for Karukera (island of beautiful waters), name by which the an-cient
inhabitants of Guadeloupe, knew the island.
Remarks: The family Runcinidae H. & A. Adams, 1854 includes 7 genus, of which, only 3
have representatives in the Atlantic: Lapinura Marcus & Marcus, 1970, Runcina Forbes &
Hanley, 1853 and Edmundsina Ortea, 2013 (previously described in this volume). All the
known species of the family Runcinidae bear rachidean teeth in the radula, this character, to-gether
with the absence of internal shell, distinguish Karukerina Ortea, new genus, from all
of them. Lapinura divae (Marcus & Marcus, 1963), the only representative of the monotypic
genus Lapinura, which is distributed all along the Caribbean, has an external cup-shaped shell
beside the gill, this character distinguishes it from Karukerina Ortea, new genus. L. divae was
originally described on the genus Ildica Bergh, 1889, due to its laminated external shell. The
species of the genus Metaruncina Baba, 1967, have an internal shell, but an asymmetric
radula. The representatives of the genus Pseudoilbia Miller & Rudman, 1968 (Order Runci-nacea)
lack a rachidean teeth (n x 2.0.2), but they also lack gastric plates, thus, they are in-cluded
in the family Ilbiidae Burn, 1963.
Karukerina antola Ortea, new species
(Plates 1 A-C & 2)
Material examined: Oeil (type locality, 16°26.78'N 61 32.41'W), GR35, Port-Louis, Guadeloupe, May
18, 2012, 2 specimens 2-3 mm long alive (1.8 mm fixed), collected at 15 m depth. One of the specimens
dissected, the other designated as holotype and deposited in the molluscan collections at the National Mu-seum
of Natural History in Paris (MNHN 26967).
Etimology: Dedicated to the Creole food restaurant Anto-la, "gastronomic base" of the expe-dition
Karubentos- 1 . Its peculiar terrace is a pleasant memory of the place where the dish of
the day became the daily dish; the cucumber salad.
Description: Body translucent green, with aggregations of brilliant white points densely
concentrated on the dorsum, scattered in the tail and in the edges of the foot. Head narrow,
square-shaped, with two triangular white patches on each side. Eyes very close together and
hardly visible by transparency, located between the triangular patches. Body progressively
widened from front to back. Posterior end of the mantle with a notch that forms two asym-metric
lobes. Gill under the lobes of the mantle, composed of two fanned yellowish green
leafs (Plates 1 B & 7 A). Anus stalked, slightly shifted to the right of the body. Tail wide and
rounded. No external shell associated to the gill. Internal shell present, but not visible by
transparency.
Jaws 150 urn long x 70 jum wide, with high density of scales (up to 16 on each row)
and canes on the anterior third (Plate 2 B); the rest is smooth, with two of the three edges
thickened. Radular formula 22 x 1 .0. 1 . Radular teeth 20 |iim long (Plate 2 E), simple, hook-shaped,
intercrossing with the ones on the other side. Four gastric plates (Plate 2D) 150 um
long, with 7 crusher plates each: the first one with a thin sheet above, and the third and fourth
with opposite orientation. Shell thin, patelliform, 400 um long (Plate 2 C), behind the gastric
plates, above the visceral mass.
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Plate 1.- Karukerina antola Ortea, new genus, new species, holotype: A. Dorsal view. B. Detail of the
gills. C. Ventral view, foot sole. D. Aegires sublaevis Odhner, 1932 in dorsal view. Aegires ochum Ortea,
Espinosa & Caballer, new species, holotype: E. Dorsal view. F. Detail of the head.
166
Plate 2.- Karukerina antola Ortea, new genus, new species: A. Scheme of the gill and anus in the back
of the body. B. Jaw. C. Internal shell in dorsal view. D. Gastric plates. E. Radular teeth in different ori-entations.
67
Remarks: The most recent contribution to the inventory of Caribbean sea Runcinidae is owed
to ORTEA, MORO & ESPINOSA [13], who describe two new species collected off the coast
of Cuba, of them, Runcina dorcae Ortea, Moro & Espinosa, 2007, also has a large gill, but
composed of five unipinnate leaves instead of the two fan-shaped leaves ofKarukerina antola
Ortea, new species. Additionally, R. dorcae is large (8 mm), globose, stocky, orange and lacks
white spots, quite different from K. antola Ortea, new species. The most common species in
the Caribbean, Lapinura divae, is distinguished because it has an external shell associated to
a small gill and his radula has a rachidean teeth. There are two other Caribbean species that shall
be compared to K. antola Ortea, new species, even when they haven't been seen after its orig-inal
description: Runcina inconspicua Verrill, 1901, from Bermuda, whose lateral foot edge is
wavy and exceeds the mantle, and Runcina prasina (Morch, 1863), from the island of Saint
Croix, with warts on the mantle. Both of them are different from K. antola Ortea, new species.
Order APLYSIOMORPHA
Family APLYSIIDAE Lamarck, 1809
Genus Aplysia Linne, 1758
Aplysia brasiliana Rang, 1828
GS02, canal de llet a Colas, 15 m depth, 1 juvenile specimen.
Order NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder DORIDACEA
Family GONIODORIDIDAE H. & A. Adams, 1854
Genus Aegires Loven, 1844
Aegires ochum Ortea, Espinosa & Caballer, new species
(Plate 1 E-F)
Material examined: Pointe de La Fontaine (type locality: 16°27.74'N; 61°31.84'W), GR30, Anse
Bertrad, May 17, 2012, 1 specimen 7 mm long, collected in a semi-dark cave at 18 m depth. Designated
as holotype and deposited in the molluscan collections at the National Museum of Natural History in
Paris (MNHN 26968). When fixed, the animal changes to copper colored and the mantle becomes
smooth.
Etimology: Named to honour Ochum, god of the water in the Yoruba religion (professed in
Guadeloupe), represented by the yellow color. Also named in memory of the roundabout
"Eleggua Square", as we called it, near the University of Fouillole in Pointe-a-Pitre, that hosts
a symbol of this religion, a mandatory crosspoint on our way to the Biological Station of the
University of Guyana during the mission Karubentos.
Description: Animal very slow and very stiff. Body intense yellow, with copper-colored spots
and rounded blotches, with some lateral humps and an embossed net of cords of different
thickness, which constitute a characteristic grid. Head with 2 thick rounded tubercles and less
copper-colored spots. Rhinophores yellow with faded coppery spots and the apex slightly
staggered. They arise from the inner base of a large rounded tubercle.
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The gill consists of five white bipinnate leaves, protected ahead by three large tuber-cles,
of which the central one is the most developed.
Remarks: The external anatomy of this species is very characteristic, thus, the holotype has
been preserved intact. Due to the coloration of the body, Aegires ochum Ortea, Espinosa & Ca-baller,
new species, may resemble to the yellow morph of the amphiatlantic species, Aegires
sublaevis Odhner, 1932 (Plate 1 D), originally described in the Canary islands and also col-lected
in Guadalupe during the expedition Karubentos-1 (GD57 station, at 6 m depth). A sim-ple
comparison of the two species (Plates 1 D & 1 E) shows that they only share the color. The
surface of the mantle, the rhinophores and the gill are very different in both, and distinguish
A. sublaevis from A. ochum Ortea, Espinosa & Caballer, new species. There are other 3 west-ern
Atlantic species, two from the Caribbean Sea (Aegires ortizi Templado, Luque & Ortea.
1987 and Aegires gomezi Ortea, Luque & Templado, 1990) and one from Brazil (Aegires ab-salaoi
Garcia, Troncoso & Dominguez, 2002), but they have quite different body architecture,
based on tubercles, and their colorations are different from that of A. ochum Ortea, Espinosa
& Caballer, new species.
Family CHROMODORIDIDAE Bergh, 1891
Genus Hypselodoris Stimpson, 1855
Hypselodoris espinosai Ortea & Valdes, 1996
GR59, ilet Fortune, rocky slope with gorgonians between 1.5 and 7 m deep.
Description of four new species of Hypselodoris Stimpson, 1855 from Guadeloupe
The recent description of Hypselodoris samueli Caballer and Ortea, 2012 from
Venezuela (CABALLER & ORTEA [1]), includes a compilation of the contributions to the
study of the genus Hypselodoris in the western Atlantic after the revision owed to ORTEA,
VALDES & GARCIA-GOMEZ [15]. In this work, 4 new species from Guadeloupe are de-scribed,
two of them related to Hypselodoris acriba Marcus & Marcus, 1967 for its coloration
pattern, the third akin to H. samueli and, the last, related to Hypselodoris ruthae Marcus &
Hughes, 1974.
Recently, JOHNSON & GOSLINER [7] transferred all the Atlantic species of
Hypselodoris to Felimare Marcus & Marcus, 1967, a genus that was originally poorly con-structed,
based on the existence of a rachidean tooth in the radula that has never been ob-served
by later authors. According to them, the molecular data indicate that the Atlantic species
of Hypselodoris belong to a different genus than those from the Indo-Pacific, but there is not
anatomical evidence to support this statement, nor to justify the creation of geographic gen-res
as the basis for zoological arrangement. Taxonomy is hierarchical, thus, to classify one
species in one genus, this taxa has to match in the diagnosis of the genus, not vice versa. The
geographic arrangement without an anatomical basis is not possible. JOHNSON &
GOSLINER [7] fail to establish the diagnosis of Felimare or Hypselodoris. and given that
any of the Atlantic species of Felimare has a rachidean tooth in the radula, the diagnostic dif-ferences
between Felimare and Hypselodoris would be exclusively, living in the Atlantic or
living in the Indo-Pacific. As an example: Hypselodoris lapislazuli (Bertsch & Ferreira. 1974).
endemic to the Galapagos Islands, has a very small blood gland compared to other
Hypselodoris. but also has a muscular pump in the vas deferens that propels the sperm
(ORTEA, BACALLADO & VALDES [9]). This anatomical differences that distinguish H.
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lapislazuli from the rest of its congeners, are of a greater magnitude than those between the
type species of Hypselodoris (Indo-Pacific) and any of its representatives in the Atlantic, as
Hypselodoris pitta (Schultz, 1836), amphi-atlantic, or Hypselodoris tricolor (Cantraine,
1 835), distributed through northern Spain, Azores, Canary Islands and the Mediterranean. As
traditional taxonomists, we understand that the typical characters of H. lapislazuli constitute
interspecific differences, which do not justify the description of a new genus. The genera
should be proposed when there are diagnostic characters of main importance, but they must
not be created to introduce unjustified fragmentation of taxa. In any case, the proposal of
JOHNSON & GOSLINER [7] must be understood within the framework of molecular sys-tematics.
The classification of the Animal Kingdom has always been subject to the criteria of
each of the historical specialists, but at the end, only the species and the specific epithets sur-vive
to the changes in the zoological arrangement. The compilation on the changes in the
arrangement of the Opistobranchia over time, given by WAGELE, KLUSSMANN, VER-BEEK
& SCHRODL [20], is a good example of this.
Hypselodoris alaini Ortea, Espinosa & Buske, new species
(Plates 3 A-D, 4 & 9 A)
References: Hypselodoris cf. acriba: VALDES, HAMANN, BEHRENS & DUPONT [19]: 160, from
Saint Martin.
Material examined: Petit-Havre, (16°12.5'N 61°25.5'W), GR57, December 4, 2012, 1 specimen 45
mm long, collected on a sandy bottom with rocky and coral debris between 10 and 13 m depth. Port-
Louis (type locality: 16°23.2'N 61°31.7'W), GR70, December 11, 2012, 2 specimens 30 and 40 mm
long with a spawn, collected on a coral rock slope between 10 and 25 m depth. Designated as holotype
the 40 mm long specimen from Port-Louis and deposited in the molluscan collections at the National
Museum of Natural History in Paris (MNHN 26969).
Etimology: Named in honor to Alain Goyeau, an expert on the underwater nature of the
Guadaloupe and the owner of the diving club of Port-Louis, where the type locality of this
beautiful species is located. In gratitude for his collaboration with the mission Karubenthos.
Description: Body elongated and tall, with a light blue background and an irregular dorsal lat-tice
formed by three orange areas alternating with three yellow (Plate 3 A-B). In the anterior
region, ahead and around the rhinophores, the lattice is orange and on the gills and ahead the
gills it is yellow. Between these two regions, there are two yellow and two orange areas, al-ternating
each other, the latter half as big as the yellow ones.
Tail 10 mm long when crawling (in the 45 mm long specimen), with the yellow lattice
from the flanks joining on it. Oral appendages blue-violet on the distal half and pale blue in
the rest. Mantle edge white, with bluish-black spots, bordered out with a thin pinkish line.
This line becomes reddish and more intense in the posterior region, behind the gill, ahead the
rhinophores and in the middle of each side of the body; where the mantle edge is interrupted
by the dorsal orange lattice, which turns dark brown or black on the outer edge. MDFs in the
mantle edge, except in the medial region, ahead the rhinophores, behind the gill and in the
areas invaded by the orange lattice. The largest MDFs between the lateral orange regions, and
the gill (Plate 9 A). Body sides covered by the orange lattice over pale blue background with
some black spots. Foot edge similar to mantle edge; white with bluish black spots, slightly hya-
170
line in the outermost edge. Rhinophores intense blue, with bright blue apex, ended in a small
tip, with more than 30 rhinophoral lamellae (holotype), tightly arranged, nearly horizontal.
Rhinophoral sheaths high, with blue background and the orange lattice. Gill consists of 13-
16 unnipinnate branchial leaves. Branchial leaves with black rachis, white lamellae, some of
them branched distally; producing bifid and trifid structures. Gonopore in the right side of
the body, in the middle-anterior zone of the hiponotum, surrounded by yellow pigment in
bright blue background.
Blood gland big, slightly constricted by the cerebroid ganglia (Plate 4 A). Digestive
tract with a very long oesophagus, with an anterior fold, reaching the digestive gland on its
internal posterior region. Jaw (Plate 4 C) composed of two quadrangular pieces, as high as
wide ( 1 .8 mm), and a third dorsal sinuous piece. The whole surface covered by regular spear-shaped
rodlets, except on the free edge, where they are more pointed. Rodlets on the dorsal
piece are curved backwards as a hook. Radular formula 65 x 96.0.96. (30 mm long fixed spec-imen).
Radular teeth bicuspid, lacking denticles up to number 40; from 41 to 50 with one den-ticle;
from 5 1 to 60, two denticles; from 70, four denticles. From tooth number 30, there is a
characteristic denticle on the second cusp. Size of the teeth increases in the row up to num-ber
65. Innermost lateral teeth bicuspid (Plate 4 D), with a large base (70 um). Outermost lat-eral
teeth robust and triangular (Plate 4 E), with 4 blunt denticles on the edge, below the first
cusp, similar to those of Hypselodoris acriba (which bears 6-7 denticles).
Reproductive system (Plate 4 B) is similar to that of Hypselodoris acriba, illustrated
by ORTEA et [15], but with very different proportions. Vas deferens white, long. Back of the
bursa copulatrix almost hidden completely by the vas deferens. Prostatic region black, com-posed
of several tightened folds. The bursa copulatrix is a flattened and elongated sac, typi-cally
golden brown, which highlights due to the white vas deferens surrounding it. Seminal
receptacle also saccular, elongated and golden brown, inserted in the bursa on its basal third.
Hermaphroditic gland white, equal length than the bursa. Vestibular gland present. The spaw
(Plate 3 D) is a ribbon coiled three times, with rigid walls, with a gelatinous matrix, which con-tains
large orange eggs, bigger than 200 urn, irregularly arranged with spaces between them.
The ribbon can contain a maximum of 10 eggs width.
Remarks: Due to the dorsal coloration: a yellow lattice on a blue background, Hypselodoris
alaini Ortea, Espinosa & Buske, new species, is related with Hypselodoris acriba and with
Hypselodoris marci Marcus, 1971, but these two species, have a wavy dorsal ridge in the
mantle edge. Additionally, the yellow lattice in H. acriba has no dorsal orange intermediate
zones as in H alaini Ortea, Espinosa & Buske, new species, and H. marci, which has pale yel-low
rhinophores, with a dark brown band and the apex indigo blue, very different from the uni-form
intense blue rhinophores of H. acriba and H. alaini Ortea, Espinosa & Buske, new
species. DOMINGUEZ [3] and DOMINGUEZ, GARCIA & TRONCOSO [4] redescribedH
marci based on specimens from Brazil, giving stability to a species originally described from
Venezuela and Brazil (GARCIA, DOMINGUEZ & TRONCOSO [6]).
Other big-sized atlantic Hypselodoris with uniform dark blue rhinophores are
Hypselodoris picta (Schultz, 1836), Hypselodoris zebra Heilprin, 1888, Hypselodoris baye-ri
(Marcus & Marcus, 1967), Hypselodoris juliae Dacosta, Padula & Schrold, 2010 and
Hypselodoris samueli, but in all these species, the dorsal coloration is composed of paral-lel
or adjacent yellow lines, more or less tightly arranged, on a dark blue background. H.
zebra, endemic to Bermuda, reaches 1 1 8 mm, have direct development and has a gold yel-low
lattice on a dark blue background on the back, whose complexity increases with size,
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Plate 4.- Hypselodoris alaini Ortea, Espinosa & Buske, new species, 30 mm specimen: A. Scheme of
the internal anatomy. B. Scheme of the reproductive system. C. Jaw and jaw rodlets. D. Innermost lat-eral
teeth and outermost lateral teeth (number in the figure). E. Radular teeth (number in the figure). Ab-breviations:
am, ampulla; be, bursa copulatrix; bgl, blood gland; dg, digestive gland; fgm, female gland
mass; in, intestine; oe, esophagus; ot, oral tube; pr, prostate; ps, penial duct; rs, seminal receptacle; va,
vagina; ve, ventricle; vg, vestibular gland.
173
but lacking the intermediate orange zones shown in H. alaini Ortea, Espinosa & Buske, new
species. VALDES, HAMANN, BEHRENS & DUPONT [19], illustrate a specimen of H.
alaini Ortea, Espinosa & Buske, new species, from Saint Martin under the name
Hypselodoris cf. acriba.
Hypselodoris fortunensis Ortea, Espinosa & Buske, new species
(Plates 3 E-F, 5, 9 C)
Material examined: Pointe Riviere Goyave (type locality: 16°8'23.98,,N 61 32'59.46"W), GR64, De-cember
7, 2012, 1 specimen 1 1 mm long, collected in a rocky bottom with sand and mud between 6 and
22 m depth, dissected to study the jaw and radula, designated as holotype and deposited in the mollus-can
collections at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris (MNHN 26971). Oeil (16°26'N
61°32'W), Port Louis, GB20, May 18, 2012, 1 juvenile 3 mm long captured at 16 m depth.
Etimology: Toponimic of ilet Fortune, the locality with the highest species richness of sea
slugs observed in Guadeloupe during the mision Karubenthos.
Description: Body elongate, wider than high; flat and wide compared to other congeners
(four times longer than wide). Mantle bright blue, with a network of yellow-orange pigment
over it. Body sides pale blue, with black spots and a yellow line in the middle, interrupted in
the tail, where there is a fine line of the same color and some black spots. Mantle edge large,
white with black spots and edged out with a golden yellow line on all its contour; including
the anterior and posterior ends of the body. A black speck marks the medio-lateral zone on the
sides of the body. There are MDFs only behind the gill and ahead the rhinophores: In the 3
mm specimen, there are 5 MDFs in the posterior region and 9, smaller, in the anterior. In the
holotype, there are 9 MDFs in the posterior region, growing from front to back, the central one
the biggest, and 16 in the anterior, all equal-sized, 8 each side (Plate 9 C).
Holotype (Plate 3 E): Gill composed of 10 unnipinnate branchial leaves with pur-plish
black rachis and white lamellae. Rhinophores of a uniform intense blue color, with 12
lamellae. Rhinophoral and branchial sheaths stained by the same orange network as in the
mantle. Foot violet blue, lighter than the rhinophores. Tail narrow, very sharp, protruding
from behind; in its middle there is a orange streak and a black speck on each side of it. Ju-venile
(Plate 3 F): Gill composed of 5 unnipinnate branchial leaves. Rhinophores uniform
violet blue. Sides of the body bright blue, with a thin yellow line and a rudiment of the
orange network.
Jaw (Plate 5 A) composed of 4 pieces; the two on the sides and the dorsal one have sim-ple
rodlets, which may have second cusp of smaller size occasionally. Rodlets in the ventral
piece are plates with 3-4 cusps, similar to these in Hypselodoris ruthae, according to ORTEA
et al. [15]. Radular formula 49 x 56.0.56. (holotype), with the teeth stained in blue in the firsts
30 rows and transparent in the rest. Radular cartilage much wider than the rows of teeth. Teeth
base long in proportion to the hook, even in the outermost lateral teeth. Teeth bicuspid, with
both cusps of similar size, up to reach the outermost marginals. The maximum number of
denticles below the second cusp is four, at tooth number 40; the same number as in the out-ermost
lateral teeth, though in there, they are deformed and rounded.
Remarks: Hypselodoris fortunensis Ortea, Espinosa & Buske, new species, is apparently
related to Hypselodoris acriba by the coloration of the dorsum, but the jaw is clearly differ-
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Plate 5.- Hypselodoris fortunensis Ortea, Espinosa & Buske, new species, holotype: A. Jaw and jaw
rodlets. B. Innermost lateral teeth (number in the figure). C. Outermost lateral teeth (number in the
figure).
ent in both species. The jaw ofH. fortunensis Ortea, Espinosa & Buske, new species, is more
similar to that of Hypselodoris ruthae, as described by ORTEA et al. [15]. On the other hand,
the radular teeth, bearing two big cusps of similar size, certainly seem to be closer to the
radular structure of H. acriba, although the teeth of H. acriba are shorter and more robust,
with a maximum of three denticles below the second cusp, which is also shorter (ORTEA et
al. [15]). H. ruthae has the second cusp of the radular teeth much smaller than the first, and
similar to that of H. bayeri, which makes difficult the determination of the specimens de-posited
in collections, in the absence of illustrations of the living animals. This species may
be present in Costa Rica where it might have been cited under the name H. acriba (ES-PINOSA
& ORTEA [5]).
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Hypselodoris fregona Ortea & Caballer, new species
(Plates 6 & 9 B)
References: Hypselodoris sp. 3: VALDES et ah [19]: 164, from Puerto Rico.
Material examined: Pointe sur baie de Bailie Argent (type locality: 1 6° 1
5
' N 6r'48'W), GD20, May 12,
2012, 1 specimen 26 mm long ( 1 8 mm fixed), collected in a rocky bottom at 35 m depth. Designated as
holotype and deposited in the molluscan collections at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris
(MNHN 26973).
Etimology: Named for the shape of the gill similar to a mop, a "fregona" in Spanish, one of
the most universal Spanish patents. The way in which this species retracts the leaves of the gill
reminds the typical drained by rotation of this household cleaning tool (Plate 6 G-H).
Description: Body elongated and tall, narrower, in relation to its length, than other congeners
(up to 9 times longer than wide). Mantle light blue in the middle and white on the rest, with
several bluish green bands from left to right between rhinophores and gill (Plate 6 A). There
are 3 parallel continuous yellow lines on the dorsum; which become orange in the middle of
the body and in the anterior region. Between the yellow lines, there are two additional dis-continuous
yellow lines. The three main lines on the dorsum join ahead of the rhinophores,
forming an arc, and surrounding the rhinophoral sheaths, from which it emerges a small or-ange
curved line that do not reach the central line. In the posterior region of the mantle, the
middle yellow line touches the branchial sheath, the lateral lines surround it and the three
lines join in a single one after the gill. Mantle edge outlined by a thin yellow line that turns
orange in the areas where the lines on the dorsum are orange. On the white side of the man-tle
edge there are bluish green blotches and black spots, evenly spaced and similarly sized. Tail
with three yellow lines and black spots, projected behind, with parallel sides which sharpen
abruptly at the end, where it forms a characteristic obtuse angle. In the preserved specimen,
the color of the body is gray with black spots; the yellow lines turn white. MDFs arranged in
groups on the mantle edge, alternating with spaces lacking them. The largest MDFs (7) are be-hind
the gill; the bigger one in the center with 3 on each side. On the edge sides, there are two
groups of 3 MDFs each; between gill and rhinophores, before and after the orange segment.
In the anterior region of the mantle edge, between the rhinophores, there are 2 arcs of 6-7
MDFs, one on each side. The frontal space lacks them (Plate 9 B). Throughout the sides of
the body there are 3 parallel yellow lines and three sets of black spots; one between the top
line and the edge of the mantle, whose background is white, and the other two in the bluish
green space separating every two yellow lines. Between the bottom line and the edge of the
foot, the background color is blue. The lines of each side join in the head, forming a collar that
contrasts with the dark blue of the oral appendages. Gonopore (Plate 6 I) in the middle-ante-rior
zone of the right side of the body, outlined by yellow pigment.
Rhinophores with 1 5 lamellae, very characteristic, white in front and behind, and dark
blue in the stalk, on the sides and at the apex, where there is a tip. Rhinophoral sheaths high
and outlined by the orange pigment of the lines of the mantle. The rhinophores retain the
white coloration when fixed.
Gill very distinctive, composed of 10 unnipinnate branchial leaves with translucent
lamellae. Rachis white in the lower half and dark blue at the top. When the animal retracts the
gill, twists the branchial leaves before hidding, just as with a mop to drain and remove dirty
water. When fixed, the gill becomes greyish with the lower half of the rachis white.
176
Plate 6.- Hypselodoris fregona Ortea & Caballer, new species, holotype: A. Dorsal view. B. Lateral
view. C. Tail. D. Ventral view of the head. E. Dorsal view of the head. F. Detail of the rhinophore. G.
Lateral view of the gills. H. Dorsal view of the gills. D. Detail of the gonopore.
177
Remarks: The body architecture of Hypselodoris fregona Ortea & Caballer, new species, is
so distinctive that the only specimen was not dissected but preserved intact as holotype. Its
color pattern is also unique among its congeners in the Atlantic. Only the upper half of the
rhinophores of Hypselodoris ruthae have a similar design, but in H. ruthae, at the same size,
there are at least 7 orange parallel lines on the dorsum, with a dark blue background and the
gill is very different. The head with an orange collar and the sets of black spots on the flanks,
are two characters that have not been described in other Caribbean species, nor the typical
functionality of the gill, which make Hypselodorisfregona Ortea & Caballer, new species, a
singular and unique taxon.
One specimen of this species has been illustrated and recorded from Puerto Rico under
the name Hypselodoris sp. 3 by VALDES et ah [19].
Hypselodoris lalique Ortea & Caballer, new species
(Plates 7 B-E, 8 & 9 D)
Material examinado: Sec Ferry (type locality: 16°17'N 61°48'W), GS15, May 12, 2012, 1 specimen
1 8 mm long, collected in a rocky bottom at 27 m depth. Designated as holotype and deposited in the mol-luscan
collections at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris (MNHN 26974). Dissected; the
bucal bulb has been extracted to study the jaw and radula.
Etimology: Named for the shape of the rhinophores, whose lamellae are so beautiful that resemble a del-icate
work made with crystal from Lalique, France.
Description: Body elongate (5-6 times longer than wide), wider in the gill region. Mantle
grayish blue with irregular longitudinal lines, composed of orange and yellow segments. There
are 3 main lines, two of them range from each rhinophore (not joining it) to the gill, the cen-tral
line exceeds the rhinophores, ending near the orange arc above. Between the 3 lines, there
are another 2 fragmented and irregular lines. Orange segments occur in the middle of the body
and in front of the rhinophores, the rest are golden yellow with some orange space. Mantle
edge of the living animal with white areas located in the anterior, middle and posterior re-gions.
This areas appear to be associated with the existence of MDFs, but these are absent in
the holotype (8 mm fixed), which bears only 3 spherical and equal-sized MDFs behind the gill
and 8, slightly smaller, in the region of the rhinophores (Plate 9 D). Mantle edge outlined with
a thin and simple orange line in the areas with MDFs, when lacking there are two parallel
lines of that color, more reddish in the middle lateral side (Plate 7 B). Body sides grayish dark
blue with 2 longitudinal lines, yellow the upper one and orange the one below, both, widen
and narrow in sections, like a string of sausages. Between them there is an extra thinner frag-mented
line. The lines on each side of the body near the foot edge, join in the tail. Mantle edge
narrow and white, topped out with a simple orange line in the anterior and posterior regions
of the body, with two overlapping orange lines on the sides, between the two previous re-gions.
The rhinophores are a typical, delicate and elegant structure, the source of the specific
epithet: sharp, very long, with the stalk and in the axis dark blue, with 14 spaced translucent
orange lamellae. Rhinophoral and branchial sheaths very low, almost imperceptible, with a
simple yellow ring in the opening. Gill composed of 9 unipinnate leaves, robust and small in
relation to the size of the animal. Rachis purplish black on the inner side and covered by the
white pigment of the lamellae on the outer side. The animal expands the branchial leaves fold-ing
them downwards. Foot violet blue, lighter than the body. Tail long, narrow and very dis-
178
Plate 7.- A. Hypselodoris ruthae Ev. Marcus & Hughes, 1974, dorsal view. Hypselodoris lalique Ortea
& Caballer, new species, holotype: B. Dorsal view. C. Ventro-lateral view. D. Dorso-lateral view of the
head. E. Dorsal view of the gills.
179
Plate 8.- Hypselodoris lalique Ortea & Caballer, new species, holotype: A. Jaw and jaw rodlets. B.
Radular teeth (number in the figure).
tinctive, with the top half dark blue and a violet blue lower half (both separated by an orange
line). When extended, it is projected behind up to 20% of the length of the body.
Gonopore high up on the right side of the body, above the upper orange line, with a ven-tral
small triangular papilla. Oral appendages conical, purplish blue, joining at the base with
the two main yellow lines on the flanks.
Jaw (Plate 8 A) composed of two large lateral pieces, which join ventrally through two
bands that are separated by a gap; the anterior band bears flattened bicuspid uncini, and the
posterior, simple rodlets of about 6 |um wide, equal to those present in the rest of the jaw. The
latter band is folded in -V- and allows a greater opening of the structure. The dorsal odd re-gion,
which connects the lateral pieces of the jaw, extends forward, forming two rounded
lobes coated with simple or bicuspid uncini on the edges.
Radular formula 55 x 52.0.52. Radula with amber teeth in the firsts 30 rows and trans-parent
in the rest. Radular teeth bicuspid, lacking special distinctive characters (Plate 8 B). The
180
Plate 9.- Scheme of the arrangement of the MDFs in: A. Hypselodoris alaini Ortea, Espinosa & Buske,
new species. B. Hypselodorisfregona Ortea & Caballer, new species. C. Hypselodorisfortunensis Ortea,
Espinosa & Buske, new species. D. Hypselodoris lalique Ortea & Caballer, new species.
two cusps of the radular teeth, grow from the innermost teeth, to number 45 approximately,
but the hook, short and wide, does not grow at the same rate, with a maximum of 5 denticles
in tooth 35. Outermost lateral teeth gradually decrease in size, but do not degenerate so
markedly as in other Hypselodoris.
Remarks: The characteristic jaw of Hypselodoris lalique Ortea & Caballer, new species, dis-tinguishes
it from the rest of his congeners in the Atlantic. At first glance, Hypselodoris lalique
Ortea & Caballer, new species may resemble to Hypselodoris ruthae due to its dark blue back-ground
(violet blue), with parallel longitudinal lines, which are yellow to orange-red, on the
mantle. In fact, it was initially determined as H. ruthae. Nevertheless, a comparative study of
both species shows that, at equal size, they are different: H. ruthae has double the number of
yellow lines on the mantle, half of the branchial leaves and club-shaped rhinophores, which
are biconical and white stained in the upper half of each side, quite different from the stylized
rhinophores with spaced lamellae of Hypselodoris lalique Ortea & Caballer, new species.
The jaw of Hypselodoris espinosai has the two lateral pieces fixed beneath the odd
ventral region and Hypselodoris muniani Ortea & Valdes, 1996, from Prince Island, has the
jaw uncini with a similar distribution as in Hypselodoris lalique Ortea & Caballer, new species,
but the three species are easy to distinguish by the external anatomy and coloration.
With Hypselodoris alaini, Hypselodoris fortunensis, Hypselodoris fregona and
Hypselodoris lalique, 15 are the species of the genus described in the Atlantic (53 % of the
total), 7 of them in the Caribbean, with the objective of clarify the taxonomy of Hypselodoris
in the area. The previous are:
181
Hypselodoris espinosai Ortca & Valdes, 1 996. Type locality: Puerto Morelos, Mexico. Holo-type
in MNHN. Avicennia, Supplement 1: 139-142, figures 12 E, 109 -111.
Hypselodoris olgae Ortea & Bacallado, 2007. Type locality: Playa Flamenco, Punta Majana,
Golfo de Batabano, Cuba. Holotype in the Natural History Museum in Tenerife. Revista
de la Academia Canaria de Ciencias, XVIII (3-4): 54-55, Plate 1, figures 1-3.
Hypselodoris samueli Caballer & Ortea, 2012. Type locality: Entrance of the coastal lagoon
of El Ocho, Morrocoy, Venezuela. Holotype in MNHN. Revista de la Academia Canaria
de Ciencias, XXIII (3): 93-106, Figures 1-4.
Family DISCODORIDIDAE Bergh, 1891
Genus Geitodoris Bergh, 1891
Geitodoris pusae (Marcus, 1955)
GM39, Anse a la Barque, under a rock at 1 m depth.
Genus Diaulula Bergh, 1879
Diaulula hummelincki (Marcus & Marcus, 1963)
GR59, Ilet Fortune, rocky bottom between 1 .5 and 7 m depth.
Genus Sclerodohs Eliot, 1 904
Sclerodoris worki (Marcus & Marcus, 1967)
GR63, pointe Anse a la Barque, rocky bottom at 3 m depth.
Suborder AEOLIDACEA
Family FLABELLINIDAE Bergh, 1889
Genus Flabellina Voigt, 1834
Flabellina hamanni Gosliner, 1994
GR66, nord ilet Fajou, rocky bottom between 20 and 24 m depth.
Genus NoumeaeUa Risbec, 1937
Noumeaella kristenseni (Marcus & Marcus, 1963)
GR75, Ilet Fortune, rocky bottom between 1.5 and 7 m depth.
Family FACELINIDAE Bergh, 1889
Genus Dondice Er. Marcus, 1958
Dondice parguerensis Brandon & Cutress, 1985
GR73, Mangrove Riviere Salee; meadows with sediments meadows and sediments
with Cassiopea spp. in a coastal lagoon with mangrove, up to 7 specimens on each
jellyfish with spawns.
Family TERGIPEDIDAE Bergh, 1889
Genus Catriona Winckworth, 1 94
1
Catriona mana Marcus & Marcus, 1960
On hydroids at the dock of the Marine Biological Station of the University of
Guyana.
182
Plate 10.- A. Bulla solida. B. Hypselodoris espinosai. C. Millereolidia agari. D. Thwidilla picta. E. Fla-bellina
hamanni. F. Dondice parguerensis. G. Sclerodoris worki. H. Geitodoris pusae.
183
Family AEOLIDIIDAE Gray, 1827
Genus Millereolidia Ortea, Caballer & Espinosa, 2004
Millereolidia agari (Smallwood, 1910)
GM21 Pointe Grigri (Port-Louis), rocky bottom at 2 m depth.
Genus Berghia Trinchese, 1877
Berghia rissodominguezi Muniain & Ortea, 1999
GR75, Ilet Fortune, rocky bottom between 1.5 and 7 m depth.
Subclase SACOGLOSSA
Orden PLACOBRANCHACEA
Family PLACOBRANCHIDAE Gray, 1840
Genus Bosellia Trinchese, 1 89
1
Bosellia curasoae Marcus & Marcus, 1970
GR56, ilet Gosier, clastic rocky bottom between 1 and 5 m depth.
Genus Thuridilla Bergh, 1872
Thuridilla picta (Verrill, 1901) GR50, Lagon de Pet.
Genus Elysia Risso, 1818
Elysia jibacoaensis Ortea, Caballer & Espinosa, 2010
(Plate 14 A-B )
Material examined: Grand Cul de Sac Marin (GR4: 16°21.8'N 61°29.66'W), May 4, 2012, 1 specimen
6 mm long, collected in a coralline bottom at 23 m depth.
The specimen captured has all the distinctive characters of the holotype described in
ORTEA, MORO, CABALLER & ESPINOSA [14]: Body light green, slightly translucent,
with bright red spots. Parapodia lacking differentiated vessels inside, of the same color as the
rest of the body. Reno-pericardial area oval, with red dots. Rhinophores long, tapered, with
the opening bordered by a thin black line, similar to these under the edge of the parapodia,
under which, there are broken, irregular white sacs. The foot does not have the true sole dif-ferentiated
from the parapodial sole and both have red dots on a light green background. True
sole with straight and parallel green lines. Parapodial sole with irregular green lines.
When the animal moves, projects the rounded edge of the foot ahead of the head. The
animal only moves in two ways: very fast or very slow. When resting, it flattens as if it was
a species of Bosellia, opening the parapodia and shrugging back the rhinophores, or it flattens
and rolls on itself as a spiral turn.
To date, known only from its type locality in northern Cuba, this is the second capture
of the species since its original description and the first record in Guadalupe.
184
Elysia ellenae Ortea, Espinosa & Caballer, new species
(Plates 11 B-E& 12)
References:
Thuridilla sp.: REDFERN, [16]: species 797.
Elysia sp. 4: TURNER, EVANS & ABGARIAN [18]: 54.
Material examined: South of Port Louis and west from Petit Canal (type locality: 16°24.07'N
61°31.27'W), GD29, May 15, 2012, 1 specimen 9 mm long, collected at 4 m depth, designated as holo-type
and deposited in the molluscan collections at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris
(MNHN 26975). Petic Cul de Sac Marin, ilet Gosier, (16°11.8'N 61°29. 66'W), GB1, May 3, 2012, 1
specimen 8 mm long, collected at 6 m depth, dissected to extract the radula. Entrance of Grotte Ame-dier
(16°30.04'N 61°28.79'W), GS25, May 19, 2012, 2 specimens 5 and 7 mm long, collected at 16 m
depth. All the specimens collected in rocky bottoms with seaweed.
Etimology: Named in honor of Ellen Strong, researcher at the Smithsonian Institution, Wash-ington,
charismatic leader of the molecular systematic^ team "Charlie's Angels", in Karuben-thos-
1, synonymous to order, discipline, harmony and sympathy (Plate 3).
Description: Body pale green, with a dark green network of irregular density and some papil-lae.
Sometimes it bears a brownish hue, with pink and white fuzzy areas. Inner side of the para-podia
with red dots and bright blue reflections; these are missing on the sides of the body,
which have a dark green background and bright white lumps and papillae. The size of the
papillae decreases from the top of the flanks, to the bottom . Rhinophores cylindrical slightly
expanded distally, with white papillae and a dorsal green granules, more or less dark, which
are absent in the apex. Inner side white and green. Rhinophores may have a red transversal
band towards the middle. Head with two rounded lobes on the nose. Anterior edge of the foot
with black dots (a mustache) which do not disappear with fixation. A distinctive character of
this species is the striking red-orange line, whole or fragmented, which starts on the frontal-inner
side of the eyes, where there is an aqua blue stain, and continues to each rhinophore, from
base to apex. Parapodia end at the posterior end of the animal, there is no tail. Folding of the
parapodia over the body very distinctive: three to four folds, two on each side of the body, or
two on one side and an odd one in the other. Edge of the parapodia outlined by a reddish line,
more or less prominent, with small white spheres aligned. Reno-pericardial area globose (Plate
1 1 E), bright white stained, reaching the edge of the base of the parapodia, which embrace it
ahead; this is more obvious in fixed animals. Mantle vessels thick and barely branched (Plate
12 A), composed of two major pairs, one on each side of the reno-pericardial area; arising
from the anterior and posterior regions. Sole of the foot green with scattered bright white dots.
True sole of the foot continuous with the parapodial sole (Plate 1 1 A), transition zone not per-ceptible
in the living animal; it is only marked by a slight transversal arched wrinkle, at the
beginning of the parapodia. In fixed specimens the true sole is heart-shaped (Plate 12 B) and
contrasts with the parapodial sole (Plate 1 1 C).
Radular teeth awl-shaped, with a thick apophysis at the base, which fits in the next
tooth. Radula (Plate 12 C-D) short in the 8 mm long specimen, with 6 teeth in the ascending
series, 9 in the descending and 3 in the ascus. All the teeth with the same shape and size, ex-cept
for the ones in the ascus, that are slightly smaller.
This species moves crawling, not jumping, not swimming. When at rest, it flattens and
expands the parapodia, taking the appearance of a heart-shaped leaf.
185
Plate 11.- A. Elysia purchoni Thompson, 1977, 7 mm. Elysia ellenae Ortea, Caballer & Espinosa, new
species, 8 mm: B. Dorsal view. C. Ventral view. D. Detail of the head. E. Detail of the heart. Elysia
leeanneae Caballer, Ortea & Espinosa, new species, holotype: F. Dorso-lateral view. G. Ventral view.
H. Animal swimming.
186
187
Remarks: The coloration of Elysia ellenae Ortea, Espinosa & Caballer, new species, is very
characteristic and distinguishes it from all known species in the Caribbean. It bears a radula
that has similar teeth to those of Elysia purchoni Thompson 1977 and Elysia jibacoaensis,
whose radulas are short (11 and 13 teeth, up to 100 urn), but in E. purchoni there is a mish-mash
of teeth in the ascus and E. jibacoaensis has 5 teeth arranged helically, quite different
from the ascus of E. ellenae Ortea, Espinosa & Caballer, new species, with only three aligned
teeth. Additionally, in this new species, all the functional teeth have the same size, unlike the
other two species in which they are progressively reduced.
REDFERN [16] illustrates a 12 mm specimen of this new species under the name
Thuridilla sp., the largest known size. TURNER, EVANS & ABGARIAN [18] illustrate spec-imens
of Elysia ellenae Ortea, Espinosa & Caballer, new species, from the Virgin Islands
under the name Elysia sp. 4. Thus, the distribution of this species includes Bahamas, Virgin
Islands and Guadeloupe.
ORTEA et al. [14] redescribed Elysia purchoni based on animals from Cuba and Costa
Rica ESPINOSA & ORTEA [5], to provide stability to one species originally described from
a single specimen of 5 mm long, emerging from a sample of algae in the laboratory of Port
Royal, Jamaica (THOMPSON [17]).
Elysia leeanneae Caballer, Ortea & Espinosa, new species
(Plates 11 F-H& 13)
Material examinado: Petit Cul de Sac Marin (type locality, 16°1 1.8'N 61°29.66'W), GB1, May 3, 2012,
1 specimen 15 mm long, collected at 3 m depth. Designated as holotype and deposited in the molluscan
collections at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris (MNHN 26978).
Etimology: Named in honor of Lee Ann Galindo, PhD student in MNHN and component of the mo-lecular
systematic's team, "Charlie's Angels", in Karubenthos- 1 . When her husband Manuel was pho-tographing
this unique species, it joyfully started to swim.
Description: Body white (Plate 1 1 F)), with grooves in the mantle which are dark green at the
bottom, that give a faded green hue to the animal. Sides of the body, uniform bright white in
the upper area of the parapodia, bright white over a green background in the middle and green
near the parapodial sole (Plates 1 1 F-G). Edge of the parapodia thickened, with a single row
of isolated white papillae; thin and conical, the apex of which, is expanded as a bulb. Inner
side of the parapodia light green, with a bright blue hue, small white granules and two cream
colored sacs, one on each side (Plate 1 1 H). Vessels inside the parapodia white (Plate 1 1 A).
There are three main branches (Plate 13 A): anterior, middle and posterior, which arise from
the region reno-pericardial region. Reno-pericardial region oval and small relative to the di-mensions
of the animal. Tail small, after the end of the parapodia. Head and neck approxi-mately
one fifth of the body length. Rhinophores tubular, milky white, with some small white
papillae and a discolored band near the apex and on the inner edges. They widen or narrow
at the apex depending of the animal's position. When resting they are wide opened and bended
upward and backward, covering his eyes, as if the light bothered him. Anterior edge of the foot
broad, rounded and robust, with sharp angles and some black spots. Projected forward of the
head. The animal sticks with it to the bottom and moves, lifted from the substrate, not using
the parapodial sole.
188
teeth. C. Ascus.
True sole of the foot whitish, muscular and well differentiated from the parapodial
sole, which is green and extends beyond the end of the parapodia (Plate 1 1 G).
Buccal bulb 0.5 x 0.3 mm in the fixed holotype. Radular teeth about 80 urn, regular and
equal to each other in shape and size (Plate 13 B), with the cutting edge sharp awl-shaped, in
right angle with the anterior end of the base. Radula with 29 teeth: 10 teeth in the ascending
189
series, 1 9 in the descending and at least 1 6 in the ascus, piled up disorderly (Plate 1 3 C). Penis
smooth, with a distal conical shortening, with different muscular density, as a small glans.
This species is probably nocturnal: it runs away from the light or rolls up when it is
lighted up and it is active in the dark.
Remarks: The parapodial sacs of Elysia leeanneae Caballer, Ortea & Espinosa, new species,
are a common character with Checholysia patina (Marcus, 1980), but this species has a pe-nial
stiletto and a reno-pericardial region globose ahead and depressed-elongated in the back,
surpassing the position of the parapodial sacs. Additionally, according to ORTEA, CA-BALLER,
MORO & ESPINOSA [10], the radular teeth of C. patina have denticles on the cut-ting
edge, but are smooth in Elysia leeanneae Caballer, Ortea & Espinosa, new species, similar
to those of Elysia zuleicae Ortea & Espinosa, 2002, but in this species the teeth decrease in
size on the radula and they are not piled up disorderly in the ascus. The radula of E. zuleicae
has 10 teeth in the ascending series and 24-25 in the descending, 30% more than Elysia leean-neae
Caballer, Ortea & Espinosa, new species. The teeth piled up disorderly in the ascus re-semble
those of Elysia purchoni, but in this species the size varies in the ascending and
descending series; the bigger teeth are three times as big as the smaller, it has black spots in
the snout and red spots in the body.
CARMONA, MALAQUIAS, GOSLINER, POLA & CERVERA [2] apply molecular
techniques to try to bring light on the complex systematic of the Caribbean species of Pla-chobranchidae,
but they introduce more confusion by including Elysia subornata Verrill, 1901
in the analysis, an unrecognizable species, whose distinctive character, a thin black line on the
edge of the parapodia, is common to several species excluded from the analysis: Elysia cauze
Marcus, 1957, Elysia nisbeti Thompson, 1977, Elysia pratensis Ortea & Espinosa, 1996 and
E. zuleicae, among others. They also confirm, the presence of Elysia timida (Risso, 1818) in
the Caribbean, something that had been previously done by ORTEA, MORO & ESPINOSA
[12] using anatomical data.
The most recent example of the difficulty in distinguishing the Caribbean species of
Elysia in absence of anatomical data is shown in REDFERN [16], who illustrates Elysia pur-choni
and Elysia timida under the name Elysia cornigera Nuttall, 1989 (species 783A and
783B respectively). In the same work, Checholysia patina (with parapodial sacs) is illustrated
as Elysia papillosa Verrill, 1910 (species 787AB), Elysia annedupontae Ortea, Espinosa & Ca-baller,
2005 (lacking parapodial sacs) as Elysia patina (species 788). Elysia cauze (species
790A) and Elysia nisbeti (species 790B) are illustrated under the name Elysia subornata and,
finally, E. papillosa as Elysia sp.
With these two new taxa, 10 are the valid species that have recently been described in
the Caribbean, whose types are deposited in: ACN (National Aquarium of Cuba), IES (Insti-tute
of Ecology and Systematics, Havana, Cuba); TFMC (Natural History Museum in Tener-ife,
Canary Islands, Spain); MZUC (Museum of Zoology, University of Costa Rica), none of
which has been included in the analysis of CARMONA et al. [2]:
Elysia pratensis Ortea & Espinosa, 1996. Type locality: Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Me-xico.
Holotype in TFMC (MO-000185). Avicennia, (4-5): 116-121, figures 1-2.
Elysia eugeniae Ortea & Espinosa, 2002. Type locality: Manzanillo, Limon, Costa Rica.
Holotype in MZUC. Avicennia, 15: 130-133, figures 1-2, plate 1A.
Elysia zuleicae Ortea & Espinosa, 2002. Type locality: Marina Hemingway, Cuba. Holotype
in ACN. Avicennia, 15: 133-139, figures 3-7, plate IB.
190
Plate 14.- Elysia jibacoaensis Ortea, Caballer & Espinosa, 201 1: A. Dorsal view. B. Ventral view. C.
Elysia annedupontae Ortea, Espinosa & Caballer, 2005. D. Elysia deborahae Ortea, Espinosa & Moro,
2005. E. Elysia sarasuae Ortea & Espinosa, 2011. F. Elysia pratensis Ortea & Espinosa, 1996. G-H.
Elysia eugeniae Ortea & Espinosa, 2002. 1. Elysia zuleicae Ortea & Espinosa, 2002.
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Elysia annedupontae Ortea, Espinosa & Caballer, 2005. Type locality: Enscnada de Bolon-dron,
Guanahacabibes, Cuba. Holotype in IES. Vieraea, 33: 502-505, figure 3, plate IB.
Elysia deborahae Ortea, Espinosa & Moro, 2005. Type locality: Maria La Gorda, Guanaha-cabibes,
Cuba. Holotype in IES. Vieraea, 33: 509-51 1, figures 4-5, plate ID.
Elysia jibacoaensis Ortea, Caballer & Espinosa, 2011. Type locality: Playa de Jibacoa,
Mayabeque, Cuba. Holotype in IES. Revista de la Academia Canada de Ciencias, XXII
(3): 203-205, Plates 3-4.
Elysia orientalis Ortea, Moro & Espinosa, 201 1. Type locality: Playita de 14-16, Miramar,
Havana, Cuba. Holotype in IES. Revista de la Academia Canada de Ciencias, XXII (3):
205-206, plate 5.
Elysia sarasuae Ortea & Espinosa, 201 1 . Type locality: Playa Rancho Luna, Cienfuegos, Cuba.
Holotype in IES. Revista de la Academia Canada de Ciencias, XXII (3): 206, plate 6.
VALDES et al. [19] synonymized Elysia eugeniae with Elysia canguzua Marcus, 1955
from Brazil, in whose original description is expressly stated, that the rhinophores have the
shape of rabbit ears. To consider that E. eugeniae, with tubular rhinophores, rolled up like a
parchment, is the same species as E. canguzua, is an incomprehensible synonymy that must
be rejected.
4. DISCUSSION
In this work, 23 species are added to the inventory of the sea slugs from Guadeloupe
(ORTEA et al. [11]); 15 new records (12 opisthobranchia and 27 sacoglossa) and 8 new
species (6 opisthobranchia and 2 sacoglossa). Additionally, a supraspecific taxa has been
named, Karukedna Ortea, new genus. Thus, the inventory of the sea slugs from Guadeloupe
reaches 149 species (122 opisthobranchia and 27 sacoglossa), collected in the two parts of the
expedition, Karubenthos- 1 and 2 (may and December, 2012), of which 9 are new species and
100 are new records for the archipelago.
The locality with higher sea slugs species richness in Karubenthos-2, was ilet Fortune,
where 7 species were collected, in addition to the 19 collected in Karubenthos- 1 (ORTEA et
al. [11]); the 26 species recorded in this locality, account for 17'8 % of the total inventory.
5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
These additions to the inventory of the sea slugs from Guadeloupe (Karukera) have
been made possible thanks to the support provided by the Guadalupe National Park divers
during the small mission Karubenthos-2 (December 2012) and especially to Didier Baltide,
always attentive to solve the problems before they occur. Alice Leblond took care of the
intendance to the last detail, including the traditional bokyt. The scientific coordination of the
expedition has been possible thanks to the unflagging efforts of Florence Rousseau and to the
enthusiasm of Bruno de Reviers (MNHN, Paris), with the support of Herve Magnin
(Guadalupe National Park). The photos of Thuddilla picta, Aplysia brasiliana and Bulla so-lida
are owed to Philippe Maestrati. The overall scientific coordination of the project and the
campaings was conducted by our friend and colleague Philippe Bouchet. Our sincere gratitude
to each and every one of the participants.
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