First Survey of Heterobranch Sea Slugs (Mollusca, Gastropoda) from the Island Sangihe, North Sulawesi, Indonesia
Open Access
- 17 September 2019
- Vol. 11 (9), 170
- https://doi.org/10.3390/d11090170
Abstract
Indonesia is famous for its underwater biodiversity, which attracts many tourists, especially divers. This is also true for Sangihe Islands Regency, an area composed of several islands in the northern part of North Sulawesi. However, Sangihe Islands Regency is much less known than, e.g., Bunaken National Park (BNP, North Sulawesi). The main island, Sangihe, has recently experienced an increase in tourism and mining activities with potentially high impact on the environment. Recently, monitoring projects began around BNP using marine Heterobranchia as indicators for coral reef health. No information about this taxon exists from the remote islands in North Sulawesi. The present study represents the first monitoring study ever and focuses on marine Heterobranchia around Sangihe. In total, 250 specimens were collected, which could be assigned to Sacoglossa (3), Anthobranchia (19), and Cladobranchia (1). Despite the low number (23 versus 172 in BNP), at least eight species (35%) are not recorded from BNP, probably indicating differences in habitat, but also influence of a strong El Niño year in 2016. Here we also report for the first time a Chromodoris annae specimen mimicking C. elisabethina, and the discovery of a new Phyllidia species.Keywords
Funding Information
- Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (no number)
This publication has 36 references indexed in Scilit:
- Opisthobranchs from the western Indian Ocean, with descriptions of two new species and ten new records (Mollusca, Gastropoda)ZooKeys, 2012
- Traditional Taxonomic Groupings Mask Evolutionary History: A Molecular Phylogeny and New Classification of the Chromodorid NudibranchsPLOS ONE, 2012
- The tail tells the tale: taxonomy and biogeography of some Atlantic Chelidonura (Gastropoda: Cephalaspidea: Aglajidae) inferred from nuclear and mitochondrial gene dataZoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011
- Potential key characters in Opisthobranchia (Gastropoda, Mollusca) enhancing adaptive radiationOrganisms Diversity & Evolution, 2004
- Opisthobranch molluscs from the Chagos Archipelago, Central Indian OceanJournal of Natural History, 2002
- Assessing the magnitude of species richness in tropical marine environments: exceptionally high numbers of molluscs at a New Caledonia siteBiological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2002
- The Chromodorididae (Opisthobranchia: Mollusca) of the Indo-West Pacific: Chromodoris epicuria, C. aureopurpurea, C. annulata, C. coi and Risbecia tryoni colour groupsZoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 1987
- The Chromodorididae (Opisthobranchia: Mollusca) of the Indo-West Pacific: the genus Glossodoris Ehrenbergh (=Casella, H. & A. Adams)Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 1986
- The Chromodorididae (Opisthobranchia: Mollusca) of the Indo-West Pacific: a review of the generaZoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 1984
- The Chromodorididae (Opisthobranchia: Mollusca) of the Indo-West Pacific: Chromodoris quadricolor, C. lineolata and Hypselodoris nigrolineata colour groupsZoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 1982