Aplysia 640637 222913791 2008-07-01T18:43:06Z DOI bot 6652755 Citation maintenance. Formatted: journal. You can [[WP:DOI|use this bot]] yourself! Please [[User:DOI_bot/bugs|report any bugs]]. {{Taxobox | name = ''Aplysia'' | image = Aplysia_californica.jpg | image_width = 250px | image_caption = ''[[Aplysia californica]]'' | regnum = [[Animal]]ia | phylum = [[Mollusca]] | classis = [[Gastropoda]] | subclassis = [[Orthogastropoda]] | superordo = [[Heterobranchia]] | ordo = [[Opisthobranchia]] | subordo = [[Anaspidea]] | superfamilia = [[Aplysioidea]] | familia = [[Aplysiidae]] | genus = '''''Aplysia''''' | genus_authority = [[Linnaeus]], 1767 | subdivision_ranks = [[Species]] | subdivision = See text. }} The genus '''''Aplysia''''' belongs to the family [[Aplysiidae]] and is a genus of [[sea hare]]s, which are a type of large [[Opisthobranchia|sea slug]]. The general description of these sea hares can be found under the entry about the superfamily [[Aplysioidea]] ('''Sea hares''') These [[benthic]] herbivorous sea hares can become rather tall, compared with other mollusks. They graze in tidal and subtidal zones of tropical waters, mostly in the Indo-Pacific Ocean (23 species); but they can also be found in the Atlantic Ocean (12 species), with a few species occurring in the [[Mediterranean]]. ''Aplysia'', when threatened, releases clouds of ink to blind the attacker. Following the lead of [[Eric R. Kandel]], the genus has been studied as a [[model organism]] by [[neurobiology|neurobiologists]], because this ink release response, as studied in ''Aplysia californica'', is mediated by [[electrical synapse]]s, which allow several [[neuron]]s to fire synchronously (Kandel et al., 2000). This quick neural response is necessary for a speedy reaction to danger by the animal. ==Species within the genus ''Aplysia''== This list follows the studies of ''Medina et al.'' who established a phylogenetic hypothesis for the genus ''Aplysia'' through study of the partial [[mitochondria]]l DNA (mtDNA) sequence data of [[ribosome|ribosomal genes]] (rDNA). *''[[Aplysia brasiliana]]'' <small>(Rang, 1828)</small> Mottled sea hare, sooty sea hare (junior synonym of ''Aplysia fasciata''; different geographical populations of the same species) **Distribution : West-Atlantic from New Jersey to Brazil, East-Atlantic around Ghana **Length : up to 27 cm **Color : variable *''[[Aplysia californica]]'' <small>(J.G. Cooper, 1863)</small> California sea hare, California black sea hare **Distribution : Northeast Pacific *''[[Aplysia cedrocensis]]'' <small>(Bartsch & Rehder, 1939)</small> **Distribution : Northeast Pacific *''[[Aplysia cervina]]'' <small>(Dall & Simpson, 1901)</small> **Distribution : West Atlantic *[[Aplysia cornigera]] <small>Sowerby, 1869 </small> **Distributuion: Indian Ocean, West Pacific *[[Aplysia cronullae]] <small> Eales, 1960 </small> **Distribution : Southwest Pacific *''[[Aplysia dactylomela]]'' <small>(Rang, 1828)</small> Spotted sea hare **Distribution : [[Cosmopolitan distribution|Cosmopolitan]]; tropical and temperate seas. **Color : from pale gray to green to dark brown. **Description : large black rings on the mantle; good swimmer *[[Aplysia denisoni]] <small> Smith, 1884 </small> **Distribution : Indian Ocean, West Pacific *''[[Aplysia depilans]]'' <small>([[Johann Friedrich Gmelin|Gmelin]], 1791)</small> **Distribution : Northeast Atlantic, Mediterranean. **Description : thin, yellow inner shell *''[[Aplysia donca]]'' <small>(Ev. Marcus & Er. Marcus, 1960)</small> **Distribution : North America, West-Atlantic *[[Aplysia dura]] <small> Eales, 1960 </small> **Distribution : Southeast Atlantic, Southwest Pacific *[[Aplysia euchlora]] <small> Adams in M.E.Gray, 1850 </small> **Distribution : Northwest Pacific *''[[Aplysia extraordinaria]]'' <small>(Allan, 1932)</small> (possibly = ''Aplysia gigantea'') **Distribution : Western Australia, New Zealand. **Length : more than 40 cm *''[[Aplysia fasciata]]'' <small>(Poiret, 1798)</small> ( ''Aplysia brasiliana'' <small>Rang, 1828 </small> is a junior synonym). **Distribution : East Atlantic, Mediterranean, West Africa, Red Sea **Length : 40 cm **Color : dark brown to black. **Description : sometimes a red border to the parapodia and oral tentacles; *''[[Aplysia geographica]]'' <small>(Adams & Reeve, 1850)</small> (?) **Distribution : Western Australia. **Length : 60 cm **Color : dark brown to black **Description : the skin secretions are very distasteful; washed up specimens; have been implicated in the deaths of dogs *''[[Aplysia gigantea]]'' <small> Sowerby, 1869 </small> **Distribution : Indian Ocean, West Pacific *[[Aplysia gracilis]] <small> Eales, 1960 </small> **Distribution : Red Sea *[[Aplysia inca]] <small> d'Orbigny, 1837 </small> **Distribution : Southeast Pacific *''[[Aplysia juliana]]'' <small>([[Jean René Constant Quoy|Quoy]] & [[Joseph Paul Gaimard|Gaimard]], 1832)</small> Walking sea hare **Distribution: cosmopolitan, circumtropicalin all warm seas **Color: various, from uniform to pale brown **Description: no purple gland, therefore no ink secretions; posterior end of the foot can act as a sucker *''[[Aplysia keraudreni]]'' <small>Rang, 1828</small> **Distribution: South Pacific **Length: 25 cm **Color: dark brown *''[[Aplysia kurodai]]'' <small>(Baba, 1937)</small> **Distribution: NW Pacific **Length: 30 cm **Color: dark brown to purplish black, dotted with white spots *[[Aplysia maculata]] <small> Rang, 1828 </small> **Distribution : Western Indian Ocean *''[[Aplysia morio]]'' <small>([[Addison Emery Verrill|A. E. Verrill]], 1901)</small> Atlantic black sea hare, Sooty Sea Hare **Distribution: Northwest Atlantic **Length: 40 cm **Color: black to deep brown; no spots *[[Aplysia nigra]] <small> d'Orbigny, 1837 </small> **Distribution : Southwest Atlantic, South Pacific *''[[Aplysia nigra brunnea]]'' <small>Hutton, 1875</small> **Distribution: [[New Zealand]] **Length: 10 cm **Color: dark brown *''[[Aplysia oculifera]]'' <small>(Adams & Reeve, 1850)</small> **Distribution: Indian Ocean; West Pacific **Description: small brown eye-spots *''[[Aplysia parvula]]'' <small>(Guilding in Moerch, 1863)</small> Pygmy sea hare **Distribution : worldwide in warm to temperate seas **Length: 6 cm **Color: brown to green spots *[[Aplysia pulmonica]] <small> Gould, 1852 </small> **Distribution : West Pacific *''[[Aplysia punctata]]'' <small>([[Georges Cuvier|Cuvier]], 1803)</small> **Distribution: NE Atlantic **Length: 20 cm **Color: very variable *[[Aplysia rehderi]] <small> Eales, 1960 </small> **Distribution : Northeast Pacific *[[Aplysia reticulata]] <small> Eales, 1960 </small> **Distribution : Southwest Pacific *''[[Aplysia reticulopoda]]'' <small>(Beeman, 1960)</small> Net-foot sea hare **Distribution : Northeast Pacific *[[Aplysia robertsi]] <small> Pilsbry, 1895 </small> **Distribution : Northeast Pacific *[[Aplysia rudmani]] <small> Bebbington, 1974 </small> **Distribution : Indian Ocean *''[[Aplysia sagamiana]]'' <small>(Baba, 1949)</small> **Distribution: East Australia, Japan; Nortwest Pacific *''[[Aplysia sibogae]]'' <small>(Bergh, 1905)</small> (?)(probably = ''Aplysia juliana'') *[[Aplysia sowerbyi]] <small> Pilsbry, 1895 </small> **Distribution : Southwest Pacific *''[[Aplysia sydneyensis]]'' <small>(Sowerby, 1869)</small> **Distribution: Australia **Length: 15 cm **Description: not clearly defined *[[Aplysia tanzanensis]] <small> Bebbington, 1974 </small> **Distribution : Indian Ocean *''[[Aplysia vaccaria]]'' <small>(Winkler, 1955)</small> California black sea hare (possibly ?= ''Aplysia cedrocensis'') **Distribution: Pacific Coast of California **Length: very big – up to 75 cm **Color: black **Description: no purple ink; huge internal shell *''[[Aplysia willcoxi]]'' <small>(Hellprin, 1886)</small> (?) *[[Aplysia winneba]] <small> Eales, 1957 </small> **Distribution : tropical East Atlantic ==References== * [[Eric R. Kandel|Kandel Eric R.]], Schwartz, J.H., Jessell, T.M. 2000. ''[[Principles of Neural Science]]'', 4th ed., p.180. McGraw-Hill, New York. *{{cite journal | author=Mónica Medina, Timothy Collins, and Patrick J. Walsh| title=Phylogeny Of Sea Hares In The Aplysia Clade Based On Mitochondrial Dna Sequence Data | journal=Bulletin Of Marine Science, 76(3): 691–698, 2005| year=2005| volume=76| issue=3| url=http://www.qsb.ucmerced.edu/mmedina/publications/Medina_etal05BMS.pdf| pages=691–698 }} (full text as a pdf-file) ==External links== {{wikispecies|Aplysia}} * Photos Aplysia - [http://www.mondomarino.net/ricerca/index.asp?view=ico&genere_opt=contiene&genere=aplysia MondoMarino.net] [[Category:Aplysiidae]] [[de:Aplysia]] [[it:Aplysia]] [[fr:Aplysie]] [[hr:Morski zekani]] [[pt:Aplysia]]