Aplysia subquadrata, G. B. SOWERBY II, 1869

Golestani, Haleh, Crocetta, Fabio, Padula, Vinicius, Camacho-García, Yolanda, Langeneck, Joachim, Poursanidis, Dimitris, Pola, Marta, Yokeş, M. Baki, Cervera, Juan Lucas, Jung, Dae-Wui, Gosliner, Terrence M., Araya, Juan Francisco, Hooker, Yuri, Schrödl, Michael & Valdés, Ángel, 2019, The little Aplysia coming of age: from one species to a complex of species complexes in Aplysia parvula (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Heterobranchia), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 187, pp. 279-330 : 320

APLYSIA SUBQUADRATA G. B. SOWERBY II, 1869

Aplysia subquadrata G. B. Sowerby II, 1869 (ex. Gould): (214), pl. 9, fig. 39A–B. Type locality: United States. Syntype: Dry shell (NHMUK 1958.1.9.313), not examined.

Remarks

Sowerby II (1869) proposed the name Aplysia subquadrata based on a manuscript description by Gould (see also: Tryon, 1868) and illustrations of the shell collected in the ‘United States’. In the short remarks after the description, Sowerby II (1869) indicated: ‘The shell of this species is not easily distinguished from that of the British and Mediterranean Aplysia hybrida [= A. punctata ].’ Tryon (1868) and Pilsbry (1895 –96) regarded A. subquadrata a synonym of A. punctata , whereas Eales (1960) considered A. subquadrata a synonym of A. parvula . Because of the vague type locality information, we are unable to determine whether A. subquadrata is an Atlantic or Pacific species. Aplysia parvula s.l. is present on both coasts of the United States, although only marginally and recently recorded from San Clemente Island, California ( Behrens & Hermosillo 2005), close to the Mexican border. Based on the information provided in the original description we are unable to determine the identity of this species.