Paedoclione
Encyclopedia
Paedoclione doliiformis is a species
of sea angel
, small floating sea slug
, pelagic marine
gastropod mollusk in the family Clionidae
.
Paedoclione doliiformis is the only species in the genus Paedoclione.
The generic name makes a nod to the paedomorphic habit of this genus, which retains many larval features throughout its life.
Paedoclione doliiformis has been originally described by Charles Haskell Danforth in 1907. It has not been collected by zoologists for next 61 years. Other next collection is from 1968 by Lalli (1972).
, Portland, Maine
.
Distribution of include St. Margarets Bay, Nova Scotia
and Gulf of Maine
and possibly elsewhere.
(a kind of pedomorphosis).
The body length is up to 1.5 mm. Paedoclione doliiformis has no shell.
It are gelatinous, mostly transparent pteropod, and it only have shell in their embryonic stage.
The orange visceral sac is confined to the anterior part.
Eggs hatch after three days, and the shell is retained until the 11th day.
and on Limacina retroversa
but solely on juveniles with shells smaller than 1 mm. Its abundance is closely linked to that of its prey.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of sea angel
Sea angel
Sea angels previously known as one kind of pteropod, are a large group of small swimming sea slugs in six different families. These are pelagic marine opisthobranch gastropod molluscs in the clade Gymnosomata within the larger clade Heterobranchia....
, small floating sea slug
Slug
Slug is a common name that is normally applied to any gastropod mollusc that lacks a shell, has a very reduced shell, or has a small internal shell...
, pelagic marine
Marine (ocean)
Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...
gastropod mollusk in the family Clionidae
Clionidae
Clionidae is a family of sea angels, which are a group of pelagic marine gastropods.They are shaped a little like angels, and have flapping "wings", hence their common name. They are gelatinous, mostly transparent pteropods, and they only have shells in their embryonic stage...
.
Paedoclione doliiformis is the only species in the genus Paedoclione.
The generic name makes a nod to the paedomorphic habit of this genus, which retains many larval features throughout its life.
Paedoclione doliiformis has been originally described by Charles Haskell Danforth in 1907. It has not been collected by zoologists for next 61 years. Other next collection is from 1968 by Lalli (1972).
Distribution
The type locality of Paedoclione doliiformis is Casco BayCasco Bay
Casco Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Maine on the southern coast of Maine, New England, United States. Its easternmost approach is Cape Small and its westernmost approach is Two Lights in Cape Elizabeth...
, Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
.
Distribution of include St. Margarets Bay, Nova Scotia
St. Margarets Bay, Nova Scotia
St. Margarets Bay is a Canadian bay located on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia on the border of the Halifax Regional Municipality and Lunenburg County .-Description:...
and Gulf of Maine
Gulf of Maine
The Gulf of Maine is a large gulf of the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of North America.It is delineated by Cape Cod at the eastern tip of Massachusetts in the southwest and Cape Sable at the southern tip of Nova Scotia in the northeast. It includes the entire coastlines of the U.S...
and possibly elsewhere.
Description
Paedoclione doliiformis has juvenile (larval) physical characteristics for the whole of its life. That is called neotenyNeoteny
Neoteny , also called juvenilization , is one of the two ways by which paedomorphism can arise. Paedomorphism is the retention by adults of traits previously seen only in juveniles, and is a subject studied in the field of developmental biology. In neoteny, the physiological development of an...
(a kind of pedomorphosis).
The body length is up to 1.5 mm. Paedoclione doliiformis has no shell.
It are gelatinous, mostly transparent pteropod, and it only have shell in their embryonic stage.
The orange visceral sac is confined to the anterior part.
Life cycle
Mating is carried out ventrally for mutual fertilization. The following spring, this results in a free-floating, gelatinous egg mass.Eggs hatch after three days, and the shell is retained until the 11th day.
Feeding habits
Paedoclione doliiformis feeds exclusively on Limacina helicinaLimacina helicina
Limacina helicina is a species of small swimming predatory sea snail in the family Limacinidae, which belong to the group commonly known as sea butterflies ....
and on Limacina retroversa
Limacina retroversa
Limacina retroversa is a species of swimming predatory sea snail in the family Limacinidae, that belong to the group commonly known as sea butterflies .- Ecology :...
but solely on juveniles with shells smaller than 1 mm. Its abundance is closely linked to that of its prey.