Melanochlamys Explained

Melanochlamys is a genus of headshield slugs in the family Aglajidae. Despite the appearance of its species, this genus must not be confused with nudibranchs.^[1]

This genus was first described by Cheeseman in 1881 but later malacologists considered it a junior synonym of Aglaja Renier, 1807, until the genus was reinstated by Rudman in 1972 ^[2]

It differs from the other genera in Aglajidae by its external cylindrical body form with small parapodia, the shape of its small, curved and strongly calcified shell, its alimentary canal with a rigid, non-eversible buccal bulb, and the reproductive system with a short duct to the exogenous (= originating from the outside) sperm sac and a characteristic penis.

Species

According to the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), this genus contains the following accepted names:

• Melanochlamys algirae (Adams A. in Sowerby G.B. II, 1850)
• Melanochlamys aquilina S.-Q. Zhang, M.-J. Liao, Y.-G. Wang, M. Kong & B. Li, 2020
• Melanochlamys barryi Gosliner, 1990
• Melanochlamys chabanae Breslau, Valdés & Chichvarkhin, 2016
• Melanochlamys cylindrica Cheeseman, 1881
• Melanochlamys diomedea (Bergh, 1893)
• Melanochlamys ezoensis (Baba, 1957)
• Melanochlamys fukudai Cooke, Hanson, Hirano, Ornelas-Gatdula, Gosliner, Chernyshev & Valdés, 2014
• Melanochlamys handrecki Burn, 2010
• Melanochlamys kohi Cooke, Hanson, Hirano, Ornelas-Gatdula, Gosliner, Chernyshev & Valdés, 2014
• Melanochlamys lorrainae (Rudman, 1968)
• Melanochlamys maderensis (Watson, 1897)
• Melanochlamys miqueli (Pelorce, Horst & Hoarau, 2013)
• Melanochlamys papillata Gosliner, 1990
• Melanochlamys queritor (Burn, 1957)
• Melanochlamys wildpretii Ortea, Bacallado & Moro, 2003

Species brought into synonymy :

• Melanochlamys depicta (Renier, 1807): synonym of Philinopsis depicta (Renier, 1807)
• Melanochlamys dubia (O'Donoghue, 1929): synonym of Philinopsis dubia (O'Donoghue, 1929)
• Melanochlamys nana (Steinberg & Jones, 1960): synonym of Melanochlamys diomedea (Bergh, 1894)
• Melanochlamys seurati (Vayssière, 1926): synonym of Melanochlamys algirae (Adams A. in Sowerby G.B. II, 1850)
• Melanochlamys virgo (Rudman, 1968): synonym of Philinopsis virgo (Rudman, 1968)

References

• Vaught, K.C. (1989). A classification of the living Mollusca. American Malacologists: Melbourne, FL (USA). . XII, 195 pp
• Gofas, S.; Le Renard, J.; Bouchet, P. (2001). Mollusca, in: Costello, M.J. et al. (Ed.) (2001). European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels, 50: pp. 180–213
• Rolán E., 2005. Malacological Fauna From The Cape Verde Archipelago. Part 1, Polyplacophora and Gastropoda
• Pelorce J., Horst D. & Hoarau A., 2013, 2012. Une nouvelle espèce de la famille Aglajidae (Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia) des côtes de Méditerranée française. Iberus 31(2): 165-170

External links

• Adams, H. & Adams, A. (1853-1858). The genera of Recent Mollusca; arranged according to their organization. London, van Voorst. Vol. 1: xl + 484 pp.; vol. 2: 661 pp.; vol. 3: 138 pls.
• Rudman, W.B. (1972) On Melanochlamys Cheeseman, 1881, a genus of the Aglajidae (Opisthobranchia: Gastropoda). Pacific Science, 26(1): 50-62, 8 figs.
• Cheeseman T.F. 1881. On a new genus of Opisthobranchiate Mollusca. Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 13: 224
• Zamora-Silva A. & Malaquias M.A.E. (2018 - nomenclatural availability: 2017). Molecular phylogeny of the Aglajidae head-shield sea slugs (Heterobranchia: Cephalaspidea): new evolutionary lineages revealed and proposal of a new classification. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 183(1): 1-51

Notes and References

1. Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S. (2010). Melanochlamys Cheesman, 1881. In: Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S.; Rosenberg, G. (2010) World Marine Mollusca database. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=137639 on 5 June 2012
2. Rudman, W.B. (1972) On Melanochlamys Cheeseman, 1881, a genus of the Aglajidae (Opisthobranchia: Gastropoda). Pacific Science, 26(1): 50-62, 8 figs.