Pleurobranchus

Pleurobranchus
Pleurobranchus mamillatus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Superorder:	Nudipleura
Order:	Pleurobranchida
Family:	Pleurobranchidae
Genus:	Pleurobranchus Cuvier, 1804
Type species
Pleurobranchus peronii Cuvier, 1804
Species
22 species (see text)
Synonyms[1]
Oscaniella Bergh, 1897 Oscanius Leach, 1847 Pleurobranchus (Oscanius) Leach, 1847 Pleurobranchus (Pleurobranchus) Cuvier, 1804 Pseudolibania de Stefani, 1879 Susania Gray, 1857

A grand pleurobranch (Pleurobranchus grandis) off Dahab, Egypt.

Pleurobranchus is a genus of sea slugs, specifically side-gill slugs, marine gastropod mollusc in the family Pleurobranchidae.[1][2]

They typically occur in intertidal and shallow subtidal waters of tropical and subtropical seas worldwide.[2]

Species

As of November 2021, the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) recognizes following species as valid:[1]

• Pleurobranchus albiguttatus (Bergh, 1905)
• Pleurobranchus areolatus Mörch, 1863 – Atlantic sidegill slug
• Pleurobranchus crossei Vayssière, 1897
• Pleurobranchus digueti Rochebrune, 1895
• Pleurobranchus evelinae T. E. Thompson, 1977
• Pleurobranchus forskalii Rüppell & Leuckart, 1828
• Pleurobranchus grandis Pease, 1868[3]
• Pleurobranchus hilli (Hedley, 1894)
• Pleurobranchus iouspi Ev. Marcus, 1984
• Pleurobranchus lacteus Dall & Simpson, 1901
• Pleurobranchus mamillatus Quoy & Gaimard, 1832
• Pleurobranchus membranaceus (Montagu, 1816)
• Pleurobranchus nigropunctatus (Bergh, 1907)
• Pleurobranchus niveus (A. E. Verrill, 1901)
• Pleurobranchus obeses K. M. White, 1946
• Pleurobranchus peronii Cuvier, 1804
• Pleurobranchus reticulatus Rang, 1832
• Pleurobranchus semperi (Vayssière, 1896)
• Pleurobranchus sishaensis (Zhang & Lin, 1965)
• Pleurobranchus testudinarius Cantraine, 1835
• Pleurobranchus varians Pease, 1860
• Pleurobranchus weberi (Bergh, 1905)

Goodheart et al. (2015)[2] recognized 14 valid species, while Alvim & Pimenta (2016)[4] recognized one other species.

References

1. Bieler R, Bouchet P, Gofas S, Marshall B, Rosenberg G, La Perna R, Neubauer TA, Sartori AF, Schneider S, Vos C, ter Poorten JJ, Taylor J, Dijkstra H, Finn J, Bank R, Neubert E, Moretzsohn F, Faber M, Houart R, Picton B, Garcia-Alvarez O, eds. (2021). "Pleurobranchus Cuvier, 1804". MolluscaBase. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
2. Goodheart, Jessica; Camacho-García, Yolanda; Padula, Vinicius; Schrödl, Michael; Cervera, Juan L.; Gosliner, Terrence M. & Valdés, Ángel (2015). "Systematics and biogeography of Pleurobranchus Cuvier, 1804, sea slugs (Heterobranchia: Nudipleura: Pleurobranchidae)". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 174 (2): 322–362. doi:10.1111/zoj.12237.
3. Pease W. H. (1868). "Descriptions of marine Gasteropodae, inhabiting Polynesia". American Journal of Conchology 4(2): 71–80, Pls. 7–10.
4. Alvim J. & Pimenta A.D. (2016). Comparative morphology and redescription of Pleurobranchus species (Gastropoda, Pleurobranchoidea) from Brazil. Zoological Studies. 55: 15.

• Bergh, L. S. R. 1897-1902. System der Nudibranchiaten Gasteropoden. Malacologische Untersuchungen. In: Reisen im Archipel der Philippinen von Dr. Carl Gottfried Semper. Zweiter Theil. Wissenschaftliche Resultate. Band 7, Theil 5.

Further reading

• SEM images of the radula can be found at Thompson, T.E.; Bebbington, A. (1973). "Scanning electron microscope studies of gastropod radulae". Malacologia. 14: 147–165.
• Howson, C.M.; Picton, B.E. (Ed.) (1997). The species directory of the marine fauna and flora of the British Isles and surrounding seas. Ulster Museum Publication, 276. The Ulster Museum: Belfast, UK. ISBN 0-948150-06-8. vi, 508 (+ cd-rom) pp.