Clione antarctica

Clione antarctica
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
(unranked): clade Heterobranchia

clade Euthyneura
clade Euopisthobranchia
clade Gymnosomata

Superfamily: Clionoidea
Family: Clionidae
Subfamily: Clioninae
Genus: Clione
Species: C. antarctica
Binomial name
Clione antarctica
(Smith, 1902)

Clione antarctica is a species of "sea angel", a sea slug, a pelagic marine gastropod mollusk in the family Clionidae, the "sea angels".

Distribution

The distribution of Clione antarctica is within the Southern Hemisphere, in the polar waters of Antarctica.[1][2]

Description

The length of this species is 4.2 cm.

Ecology

Clione antarctica is an important component of polar ecosystems. It preys upon Limacina antarctica[1] It is itself eaten by the medusa Diplulmaris antarctica.[3] C. antarctica has a large lipid storage capacity: up to 5% of its wet mass.[4] It is able to survive without food for about six months by utilizing these lipid storage reserves.[4] Clione antarctica lays eggs in the spring.[4]

This species defends itself from predators by synthesizing an ichthyodeterrent (a chemical that deters fishes); this is a previously unknown molecule called pteroenone.[5] The sea angel acts as a "guest" for the hyperiid amphipod Hyperiella dilatata, which takes advantage of the protection provided by the gastropod's icthyodeterrent.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 Whitehead, K.; Karentz, D.; Hedges, J. (2001). "Mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) in phytoplankton, a herbivorous pteropod (Limacina helicina), and its pteropod predator (Clione antarctica) in McMurdo Bay, Antarctica". Marine Biology. 139 (5): 1013. doi:10.1007/s002270100654.
  2. Rudman W. B. (11 January 2006). "Clione antarctica (Smith, 1902)". Sea Slug Forum. accessed 2 February 2011.
  3. Larson, R. J.; Harbison, G. R. (1990). "Medusae from Mcmurdo Sound, Ross Sea including the descriptions of two new species, Leuckartiara brownei and Benthocodon hyalinus". Polar Biology. 11. doi:10.1007/BF00236517.
  4. 1 2 3 Seibel, B. A.; Dierssen, H. M. (2003). "Cascading trophic impacts of reduced biomass in the Ross Sea, Antarctica: Just the tip of the iceberg?". The Biological bulletin. 205 (2): 93–97. doi:10.2307/1543229. PMID 14583506..
  5. 1 2 Yoshida, W. Y.; Bryan, P. J.; Baker, B. J.; McClintock, J. B. (1995). "Pteroenone: A Defensive Metabolite of the Abducted Antarctic Pteropod Clione antarctica". The Journal of Organic Chemistry. 60 (3): 780. doi:10.1021/jo00108a057.

External links

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