Spongiobranchaea australis

Spongiobranchaea australis is a species of sea angel, a form of sea-slug plankton. It has a partially transparent body with small "wings" that it uses to swim in its habitat. It is classified as a pteropod.

Spongiobranchaea australis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Clade: Euopisthobranchia
Order: Pteropoda
Family: Pneumodermatidae
Genus: Spongiobranchaea
Species:
S. australis
Binomial name
Spongiobranchaea australis
d'Orbigny, 1836
Synonyms[1]
  • Pneumodermon dumerilli S. P. Woodward, 1854
  • Spongiobranchia australis d'Orbigny, 1836

Distribution

edit

Spongiobranchaea australis is found in austral waters near the Antarctic region, in the southern hemisphere. The species is primarily concentrated near areas in close proximity to Australia and New Zealand. The areas they live in is pelagic and temperate; 2 °C - 13 °C.[1][2]

Description

edit

The average size was recorded to be 22 mm. Regular sexually active males and females vary around 3–5 mm.[3] The largest ever individual was found to be 2.2 cm.[4]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Spongiobranchaea australis d'Orbigny, 1836". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2023-11-13.
  2. ^ "NZ Mollusca - Spongiobranchaea australis". www.mollusca.co.nz. Retrieved 2023-11-13.
  3. ^ "Spongiobranchaea australis d'Orbigny, 1836". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 2023-11-13.
  4. ^ "Spongiobranchaea australis d'Orbigny, 1834".