Melibe

Melibe
Melibe viridis, anterior end at the front with the large rounded oral hood
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
(unranked):	clade Heterobranchia clade Euthyneura clade Nudipleura clade Nudibranchia clade Dexiarchia clade Cladobranchia clade Dendronotida
Superfamily:	Tritonioidea
Family:	Tethydidae
Genus:	Melibe Rang, 1829[1]
Diversity
14 valid species and 3 doubtful species[2]
Synonyms[2]
Chiroraera Gould, 1852 Jacunia Filippi, 1867 Melibaea Angas, 1864 Meliboea Kelaart, 1858 Propomelibe Allan, 1932

Melibe is a genus of sea slugs, nudibranchs, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Tethydidae.

Most nudibranchs are carnivores, but their prey is usually sessile or slow-moving animals such as sponges or bryozoans. In contrast, Melibe is an active predator which traps fast-moving free-swimming animals such as small crustaceans, using its extendable oral hood. [1]

Melibe leonina

Species

Species within the genus Melibe include 14 valid species and 3 doubtful species:^[2]

• Melibe australis Angas, 1864^[2]
• Melibe bucephala Bergh, 1902^[2]
• Melibe digitata Gosliner & Smith, 2003^[2]
• Melibe engeli Risbec, 1937^[2]
• Melibe leonina (Gould, 1852)^[2]
• Melibe liltvedi Gosliner, 1987^[2]
• Melibe maugeana Burn, 1960^[2]
• Melibe megaceras Gosliner, 1987^[2]
• Melibe minuta Gosliner & Smith, 2003^[2]
• Melibe papillosa (de Filippi, 1867)^[2]
• Melibe pilosa Pease, 1860^[2]
• Melibe rosea Rang, 1829 - type species^[2]
• Melibe tuberculata Gosliner & Smith, 2003^[2]
• Melibe viridis (Kelaart, 1858) - synonym: Melibe fimbriata Alder & Hancock, 1864; Melibe vexillifera Bergh, 1880; Propomelibe mirifica Allan, 1932; Melibe mirifica (Allan, 1932); ? Melibe japonica Eliot, 1913^[2]

doubtful species:

• Melibe capucina Bergh, 1875^[2]
• Melibe ocellata Bergh, 1888^[2]
• Melibe rangi Bergh, 1875^[2]

References

1. ^ Rang (1829). Man. Moll., 129.
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t} Gosliner T. M. & Smith V. G. (2003). "Systematic review and phylogenetic analysis of the nudibranch genus Melibe (Opistobranchia: Dendronotacea) with descriptions of three new species". Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 54: 302-355. PDF.

Further reading

• Gosliner, T.M. 1987. Nudibranchs of Southern Africa ISBN 0-930118-13-8