Peronia griffithsi Dayrat & Goulding, 2020
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publication ID |
https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.972.52853 |
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publication LSID |
lsid:zoobank.org:pub:79167494-2E92-42C3-8D1F-D4DE7264D7B7 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/61BB1B61-C9FC-43A8-AB92-5C4AEB7411E0 |
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taxon LSID |
lsid:zoobank.org:act:61BB1B61-C9FC-43A8-AB92-5C4AEB7411E0 |
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treatment provided by |
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scientific name |
Peronia griffithsi Dayrat & Goulding |
| status |
sp. nov. |
Peronia griffithsi Dayrat & Goulding sp. nov. Figs 39 View Figure 39 , 40 View Figure 40 , 41 View Figure 41 , 42 View Figure 42 , 43 View Figure 43 , 44 View Figure 44 , 45 View Figure 45 , 46 View Figure 46 , 47 View Figure 47 , 48 View Figure 48
Type material.
Holotype. Mauritius • holotype, hereby designated, 15/10 mm [3157 H]; Mahebourg, waterfront; 20°24.317'S, 57°42.605'E; 13 Jun 2014; TC Goulding leg.; st 178, rocky intertidal, with algae, just before sunrise; MNHN-IM-2000-35265.
Additional material examined.
Mauritius • 7 specimens 8/5 mm [3606], 20/15 mm [3153], 22/17 mm [3154], 17/15 mm [3155], 20/14 mm [3156], 7/4 mm [3607], and 6/4 mm [3608]; same collection data as for the holotype; MNHN-IM-2019-1608.
Indonesia • 1 specimen 17/12 mm [2936]; Kei Islands, Fiditan; 05°35.957'S, 132°45.112'E; 28 Feb 2014; M Khalil and field party leg.; st 144, rocks behind muddy Rhizophora mangrove; UMIZ 00176. • 2 specimens 18/10 mm [2934] and 25/16 mm [3566]; same collection data as for the preceding; UMIZ 00177.
Papua New Guinea • 1 specimen 6/3 mm [6095]; New Ireland, east coast, Povalval; 02°41'S, 150°57'E; 11 & 13 Jun 2014; MNHN Expedition Kavieng 2014 leg.; st KM05, mixed hard platform and seagrass bed at outlet of rivulet; MNHN-IM-2013-53535.
Additional material examined
(historical museum collections). Indonesia • 161 specimens from 2/2 to 23/14 mm; Kei Islands, Toeal; 18 Mar 1922; T Mortensen leg.; NHMD 635303.
Distribution
(Fig. 6 View Figure 6 ). Indo-West Pacific: Mauritius (type locality), Indonesia (Kei Islands), and Papua New Guinea (New Ireland).
Etymology.
Peronia griffithsi is named after Owen Griffiths, who kindly and generously hosted and guided one of us (Tricia Goulding) in Mauritius.
Habitat
(Fig. 39 View Figure 39 ). Peronia griffithsi is found in the rocky intertidal, like most other Peronia slugs. Our specimens from Mauritius were collected just before sunrise, suggesting that P. griffithsi is, at least partly, a nocturnal species.
Color and morphology of live animals
(Figs 40 View Figure 40 , 41 View Figure 41 ). No picture of live animals was available for specimens from Kavieng. The description of the color of live animals is based on Mauritius and Kei individuals. The dorsal notum is greenish brown, light to dark, mottled with darker and lighter areas. The color of the dorsal papillae varies as that of the background itself, but dorsal papillae can also be yellowish-greenish. The ventral surface (foot and hyponotum) varies from whitish to yellowish and can change rapidly in any given individual. The ocular tentacles are brown-grey, like the head. The dorsal notum of live animals is covered by dozens of papillae of various sizes. Some papillae bear black dorsal eyes at their tip. The number of papillae with dorsal eyes is variable (from 6 to 10). The largest specimens are 25 mm long.
Digestive system
(Figs 42 View Figure 42 - 44 View Figure 44 ). Examples of radular formulae are presented in Table 5 View Table 5 . The median cusp of the rachidian teeth is approximately 35 μm long. The hook of the lateral teeth is approximately 70 μm long. The intestinal loops are of type V.
Reproductive system
(Figs 45 View Figure 45 - 48 View Figure 48 ). In the anterior (male) parts, the muscular sac of the accessory penial gland is less than 5 mm long. The hollow spine of the accessory penial gland is narrow, elongated, and straight or slightly curved, and its shape (including at its tip) varies between individuals. Its length is 0.62 mm ([2934] UMIZ 00177) in unit Kei and ranges from 0.5 mm ([3157 H] MNHN-IM-2000-35265) to 0.61 mm ([3153] MNHN-IM-2019-1608) in Mauritius. Its diameter at the conical base ranges from 60 to 65 μm. Its diameter at the tip ranges from 15 to 20 μm. The retractor muscle is shorter or longer than the penial sheath and inserts near the heart. Inside the penial sheath, the penis is a narrow, elongated, soft, hollow tube. Its distal end bears conical hooks which are less than 25 μm long.
Diagnostic features
(Table 4 View Table 4 ). Peronia griffithsi is characterized by a unique combination of anatomical traits: intestinal loops of type V, muscular sac of the accessory penial gland less than 5 mm long, spine of the accessory penial gland less than 0.62 mm long. In P. platei and P. setoensis , which are anatomically similar to P. griffithsi , the spine of the accessory penial gland is longer than 0.7 mm ( P. platei ) and 0.9 mm ( P. setoensis ).
Remarks.
A new species name is needed because no existing name applies to the species described here. A large population (161 specimens) from Kei Islands and identified by Hoffmann as Onchidium verruculatum was found in the collections of the Copenhagen Museum (NHMD 635303). Those specimens most likely belong to P. griffithsi because their intestinal loops are of type V (only a few individuals were dissected). Also, the retractor muscle of the few individuals dissected inserts near the end of the visceral cavity, as in specimens from Mauritius, suggesting that an insertion near the heart is not as common. Interestingly, Hoffmann (1928: 44) did not include those specimens in his list of material for O. verruculatum , possibly because he realized that they were different from O. verruculatum , with intestinal loops of type I.
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.