Zeusia herculea

• Main Authors: Valdés, Ángel, Lundsten, Lonny, Wilson, Nerida G.
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Taxonomy; Animalia; Mollusca; Gastropoda; Nudibranchia; Aeolidiidae; Zeusia; Zeusia herculea; Blue whale
• Online Access: https://zenodo.org/record/5971434; https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5971434

Zeusia herculea (Bergh, 1894) (Figs. 15 E–F, 20–21) Aeolidia herculea Bergh, 1894: 128 –129, pl. 1, figs 8–12. Type locality: 33°08’N, 118°40’W (northeast of San Clemente Is., California), 757 m depth. Aeolidia farallonensis Gosliner & Behrens, 1996: 351 –353, figs. 3–5. Type locality: 37°27.9’N, 123°02’W (off Farallones Is., California), 510 m depth. Material examined. Blue whale skeleton (implanted on 5 Oct 2004), Monterey Bay, California (36.772, - 122.083), 1018 m depth, ROV Tiburon (dive 1117), 15 Aug 2007, 18 mm preserved length, dissected (SIO-BIC M12136), GenBank accession numbers: MH 756131 (16S), MH 756142 (H3). Description. Body elongate, wide, with numerous elongate, dorso-lateral cerata. Cerata arranged in densely packed rows, running from behind oral tentacles to posterior end of the body. Cerata increase in size in each row, lateral cerata typically shorter, dorsal cerata longer (Fig. 15 E–F). Oral tentacles tentacular, narrow, elongate (Figs. 15E). Foot corners absent (Figs. 15E). Rhinophores elongate, smooth (Figs. 15F). Color alive unknown, no live photographs available. Digestive system with large, muscular buccal bulb (Fig. 20A). Esophagus narrow, short, connecting anteriorly into buccal bulb. Digestive gland with lateral branches entering cerata. Intestine emerging laterally from left side of digestive gland, forming a loop and opening into anus. Anus pleuroproctic, opening posterior to the genital opening, below the ceratal rows. Radular formula 19 × 0.1.0 in holotype. Radular teeth broad, arch-shaped (Fig. 21B), with 28–30 elongate acutely pointed denticles, lacking central cusp. Teeth progressively smaller towards posterior end of radula. Jaws elongate (Fig. 21A), no denticles on masticatory border. Reproductive system with very elongate, convoluted ampulla forming numerous loops (Fig. 20B), opening into female gland complex next to prostate opening. Prostate tubular, very elongate, forming numerous loops, expanding abruptly into large, muscular deferent duct with several superficial ...