World Congress of Malacology Antwerp ... - Unitas Malacologica

Isomeria as distributed in moderate to high elevations. This interpretation may simply reflect lack of
information rather than ecological or evolutionary patterns. Newly available and still fragmentary
anatomical and distributional data does not fully support the current assignment of all species into
each of the two genera. In addition, the conchology-based relationships of species-groups within each
genus need to be re-examined.
Anatomy of the genital system of Eubranchus vittatus (Alder & Hancock, 1842) (Gastropoda,
Nudibranchia, Eubranchidae)
Botana, Alba G. 1 ; Urgorri, Victoriano 1,2 ; Señarís, Marcos P. 1 ; Díaz-Agras, Guillermo 2 ; Corral,
Eva 1 ; Moreira, Juan 2
1. Departamento de Zooloxía e Antropoloxía Física, Facultade de Bioloxía,
Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Spain,
Email: zmalba@usc.es
2. Estación de Bioloxía Mariña da Graña. Rúa da Ribeira 1, 15590-Ferrol,
Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Spain
During the last ten years some samplings have been carried out in Galicia (Ría de Ferrol), Portugal
(Setúbal) and Ireland (Galway) in order to collect nudibranchs by scuba diving, what has provided us
with an important collection of species of the genus Eubranchus. All the species collected of this
genus live in association with different species of hydroid colonies. However, three species:
Eubranchus vittatus, Eubranchus cingulatus and Eubranchus doriae live on the hydrozoa
Kirchenpaueria pinnata, although they never share the same branch.
The results of the anatomical study and the reconstruction of the genital system of Eubranchus
vittatus, which has been carried out by means of serial cuts, are presented in this communication. The
genital system is described herein and a detailed sketch of its reconstruction is also presented in the
photographs of cuts of the different parts with an optical microscope.
The reproductive system presents a hermaphroditic duct that opens laterally in the ampulla, which is
reneiform with a short spermoviduct. The deferent duct presents a clear prostate, which is curved and
short. The penial gland is large, dilated and with a short duct that opens into the deferent duct near
the tip of the penis. This is short, conic and presents two small corneous hook-shaped structures. The
oviduct goes through the albumen and mucous glands and opens independently from the vagina. The
piriform seminal receptacle, with a variable size, opens on the lateroinferior part in the upper dilated
end of the vagina.
The reproductive system of E. vittatus has several similarities to E. cingulatus, E. farrani and E.
doriae. The hermaphroditic duct opens laterally in the ampulla as it does in E. farrani and E.
cingulatus, but the prostate of E. vittatus is smaller and the penial gland larger. The penis is smaller
than that of E. cingulatus.
Inventorying the molluscan fauna of the world: how far to go?
Bouchet, Philippe
Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 57 rue Cuvier, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France,
Email: pbouchet@mnhn.fr
There is a race to document the biodiversity of the world to conserve, manage and salvage it. This
urgency is even more acute for molluscs where at least 580 species, or 2.5% of the land and
freshwater fauna, are already extinct; this represents more than half of the total recorded global
extinctions. New species of molluscs continue to be described at a high and increasing pace, with an
annual increment of ca. 600 species (400 marine, 150 land and 50 freshwater), and there is no sign of
leveling of the cumulation curves. The attention of malacologists is very unevenly distributed, with
the species-rich taxa (Turridae s.l., Triphoridae, Eulimidae, hydrobioids, Galeommatoidea) and the
species-rich environments/regions (most of the tropics, the deep sea) receiving disproportionately
24