Platybrachium antarcticum Minichev, 1976
[dubious species]
Overview
This is a naked pelagic snail, up to 1.4 cm long, with a semi-transparent body, the visceral mass is seen through the body wall. It is conical in shape, with two lateral arms each with 40 suckers. It is a good swimmer that hunts shelled pteropods as food and lives in the Antarctic Ocean (Platybrachium antarcticum).
Taxonomic Description
The body is conical in shape with two circular folds. There are two broad lateral arms, the median arm is absent. The lateral suckers have short stalks, in the illustration more than 40 suckers are shown on each arm. The posterior footlobe is narrow and long. The tentacles are short. The hook sacs are short. The Platybranchium antarcticum radula formula is 6-1-6, the lateral teeth are claw-shaped and broad based, the median teeth has two dentated main cusps, two blunt cusps and rounded corners.
Body length up to 14 mm.
Juveniles
A special description is not available.
Reproduction
This species is a protandric hermaphrodite.
Ecology
This species is a carnivore.
Distribution
This species is found in the Antarctic Ocean.
Types
Platybranchium antarcticum Minichev, 1976: 103, fig. 1.
Holotype and one paratype in Zoological Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR in St. Petersburg.
Type locality: COBE stat. 214, 58°37'S 46°19'E, 9/2/1957.