Juan Lucas Cervera

Universidad de Cádiz | UCA · Department of Biology/INMAR

Most of the European polyclad species were described after material was collected from the Gulf of Naples, Italy, which was compiled in the renowned monograph of Arnold Lang in 1884. On the other hand, little is known about the diversity of flatworms in the Iberian Peninsula, with 49 recorded species, which are mainly registered in the northern coa...

The importance of habitat-forming species, particularly cold-water corals like Dendrophyllia ramea, cannot be overstated as they provide crucial physical structures that offer shelter, food, and breeding habitat for a range of other species. We studied the spatial distribution and abundance of D. ramea, its associated species and the impact of huma...

Syllis prolifera (Syllidae, Syllinae) is an abundant species of marine annelids commonly found in warm to temperate waters worldwide. Although morphological variability occurs among populations , S. prolifera has long been considered a cosmopolitan species, widely distributed in coastal environments, including acidified and polluted areas. However,...

Here, we present the mitochondrial sequences of two sea slugs (Heterobranchia): Runcina aurata and Facelina auriculata, the latter being the type species of the family. The mitochondrial genomes are 14,282 and 14,171bp in length, respectively, with a complete set of 13 PCGs, 2 rRNAs, and 22 tRNAs. None of the mitogenomes show gene reorganization, k...

In the northeastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea, the pleurobranchid genus Pleurobranchaea Leue, 1813 is represented by two species, Pleurobranchaea meckeli (Blainville, 1825) and Pleurobranchaea morosa (Bergh, 1892). The former is a well-known species distributed from northern Spain to Senegal and the Mediterranean Sea, while the second is a poo...

In recent decades, thanks to the use of integrated taxonomy, the traditional recognition of a nudibranch species based on observation and colour pattern variation has become increasingly questioned, mainly due to the presence of cryptic and pseudocryptic species complexes. Individuals with the same colour pattern can be genetically identical, but i...

The genus Elysia comprises about one-third of the species richness in Sacoglossa. However, the species diversity in the genus remains poorly characterized in some areas like the north-eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean waters. To clarify the systematics of this genus and to characterize the species diversity in undersampled regions, we performed an...

The phylogeny of the family Tritoniidae has recently been studied with significant advances, but the relationships between genera are still controversial. In our study, we investigated the phylogeny of Tritoniidae using the most diverse taxon sampling possible. We applied an integrative approach based on new sequences of two mitochondrial genes (CO...

The family Discodorididae (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Nudibranchia) is one of the most numerous nudibranch families in terms of species and includes well-known genera in European waters such as

Color ontogeny and variations associated with discrete morphological differences may generate taxonomical challenges, which requires multiple data types and in-depth historical review. The nudibranch known as the Spanish dancer, Hexabranchus sanguineus , is a classic example with over 200 years of taxonomic confusion. Currently, H. sanguineus is ac...

Despite their cosmopolitan occurrence and massive plankton sampling during expeditions, the genetic diversity within Pteropoda Cuvier, 1804 is still largely unexplored. In this study we present a next-generation environmental barcoding approach to zooplankton bulk samples, which were collected during the circumglobal 2010 Malaspina expedition to ev...

The rocky intertidal shore of La Caleta, an urban beach located in Cádiz (SW Spain), was surveyed for decapod crustaceans over a year. Samplings were taken monthly (March 2015 to February 2016) in three differentiated zones during the spring low tides of every month at five sites, differentiated according to the hydrodynamic regimes and intertidal...

Considering the overexploitation of fishing on most of the world coasts, the ingestion of fish and shellfish will depend mostly on aquaculture production. Since intensive mariculture usually involves environmental impact, developing sustainable cultures is a priority. In this sense, salt marshes can provide ecosystem services and incorporate both c...

The assessment of trace metal content in our fish diet is important due to the adverse effect on human health. Despite the increasing interest about the fish quality, little information is available for Southern Spain, a region characterized by high seafood intake. Nine species from the Bay of Cádiz with high commercial value were selected. Similar...

Owing to the small size and cryptic morphology, runcinids are among the most difficult marine heterobranchs to study and consequently one of the groups about which little is known. Only recently were molecular tools and phylogenetics first employed to study the systematics. The charismatic European reddish-brown species Runcina ferruginea Kress, 19...

The nudibranch diversity of the western Indian Ocean is comparatively one of the least studied in the world. In this paper a sponge-like Discodoridae nudibranch Jorunna liviae sp. nov. is described. The description is based on integrative anatomy, including molecular analysis of two genes (the mitochondrial COI and the nuclear H3), dissections, ele...

Here, we present the mitochondrial sequences of two ‘opistobranch’ heterobranchs: Runcina aurata García-Gómez, López, Luque & Cervera, 1986 and Facelina auriculata (O. F. Müller, 1776), the latter type taxon of the genus. The mitochondrial genomes were 14,282 and 14,171bp in length respectively, the two of them with a complete set of 13 CDS, 2 rRNA...

The genus Dendrodoris is ascribed to the family Dendrodorididae, whose members are characterized lacking spicules in the dorsum as well as a radula, one of the most important taxonomic traits to distinguish and define nudibranch species. The absence of this taxonomic character makes difficult to delineate species based on morphologic traits, and co...

The genus Thuridilla Bergh, 1872 comprises mostly tropical sap‐sucking sea slugs species with flamboyantly coloured forms. However, the potential for cryptic or pseudocryptic species masked by convergent or polymorphic colour patterns has not been tested using molecular characters. In this study, we sampled 20 of the 23 recognized worldwide species...

Runcinida is a small heterobranch order of sea slugs with 61 known species distributed worldwide across temperate and tropical latitudes with two established families (Ilbiidae and Runcinidae). Little is known about the phylogenetic relationships within Runcinida. Here, we present the first molecular phylogeny of the order with an emphasis on Europ...

Runcinida is a small heterobranch order of sea slugs with 61 known species distributed worldwide across temperate and tropical latitudes with two established families (Ilbiidae and Runcinidae). Little is known about the phylogenetic relationships within Runcinida. Here, we present the first molecular phylogeny of the order with an emphasis on Europ...

First visual guide of the most common and/or curious animal species (25 species) and macroalgae (25 species) of the intertidal rocky shores of La Caleta (Cadiz) and associated intertidal rocks.

New visual guide of the most common and/or curious animal species (54 species) and macroalgae (52 species) of the intertidal rocky shores of La Caleta (Cadiz) and associated intertidal rocks. They include more than twice of the species that appeared in the guide published in 2019. Two of the added animal species were recently described as new to Sc...

The genus Orodoris Bergh, 1875 is a small genus that together with Miamira Bergh, 1875, was considered as a junior synonym of Ceratosoma A. Adams & Reeve, 1850. This decision was based on a morphological phylogenetic study conducted in 1999 that recovered the monophyly of the Ceratosoma. However, in 2012, molecular evidences led to the resurrection...

The genus Orodoris Bergh, 1875 is a small genus that together with Miamira Bergh, 1875, was considered as a junior synonym of Ceratosoma A. Adams & Reeve, 1850. This decision was based on a morphological phylogenetic study conducted in 1999 that recovered the monophyly of the Ceratosoma. However, in 2012, molecular evidences led to the resurrection...

A new species of polyclad flatworm belonging to the genus Pseudobiceros Faubel, 1984 is described based on external and internal morphological features from specimens collected on the coasts of Principe Island. Pseudobiceros principensis sp. nov. is a large-sized worm, with well-developed pseudotentacles, an elongated oval body shape, and deep marg...

Despite the importance of dispersal behavior in the eco-evolutionary responses of species to global environmental change, its role in the invasion dynamic of stowaway invaders has been poorly studied, especially in low-mobile species (i.e. with direct development). Here we use peracarid crustaceans as a target group to understand the role that loca...

The similarities and variations in nudibranch species of the “Chromodoris quadricolor group” (Heterobranchia, Nudibranchia) have historically created identification prob- lems among both nudibranch enthusiasts and experts. In this study, we combine molecular genetic analyses using one nuclear gene (histone h3) and two mitochon- drial genes (cytochr...

The present paper reports the first record of the nudibranch species Anteaeolidiella lurana (Marcus Er. & Marcus Ev., 1967) for the marine fauna of Portugal. Two specimens were collected on May 2018 in the intertidal zone of Ría Formosa, a protected area of southern Portugal.

Phylogenetic results, annotated tree resulted from PTP analysis, photographs of sequenced species, results of SDGP and COI uncorrected minimum genetic p-distance

The widespread sea hare species Aplysia parvula includes four genetically distinct lineages, containing a total of ten different species. While the four lineages can be differentiated by their external characteristics, species in each clade are often morphologically indistinguishable. A review of literature and type material revealed that several a...

The “most famous” nudibranch of the world – the “Spanish dancer” Hexabranchus sanguineus (Rüppell & Leuckart, 1830) – has a confusing taxonomic history with around 27 synonym names. The most dramatic rearrangement considered that all morphs of Hexabranchus spp. from the Indo-West Pacific Ocean (IWP) belonged to the same species, synonymizing 20 nom...

Runcinids are poorly known minute marine slugs inhabiting intertidal and shallow subtidal rocky shores. Among the European species, Runcina brenkoae, described from the Adriatic Sea in the Mediterranean, has been described to display chromatic variability, placing in question the true identity and geographic distribution of the species. In this pap...

A new species of dendronotid nudibranch of the genus Marionia Vayssiére, 1877, Marionia abrahamorum sp. nov., is described here. This species was found on Príncipe Island (Gulf of Guinea, eastern Atlantic), and its description is based on its morphological characteristics as well as molecular data from two mitochondrial (cytochrome c oxidase subuni...

This paper describes two new species of two genera of polyclad flatworms found in the Iberian Peninsula, Parviplana and Phaenoplana. Parviplana jeronimoi sp. nov. is a small-sized polyclad with yellowish-brown background colour and pale yellow ventral body; gonopores well separated, with corrugated ventral body wall between them; and prostatic vesi...

The widespread sea hare species Aplysia parvula includes four genetically distinct lineages, containing a total of ten different species. While the four lineages can be differentiated by their external characteristics, species in each clade are often morphologically indistinguishable. A review of literature and type material revealed that several a...

Although several studies on the marine heterobranch gastropod fauna have been conducted in the Caribbean region, there is still a lack of knowledge on this group in Honduras. This study presents a checklist of "sea slug" species (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Heterobranchia) resulting from a series of samples taken at two very shallow areas in the Caribbea...

The cephalaspidean gastropod Philine iris Tringali, 2001 has been found in the coasts of the province of Cadiz, being the first register of the species along the western coasts of the Iberian Peninsula. This species is characterized by its small size and the orange colour of his body. This coloration is very remarkable within the European species o...

Two symmetrical diacylguanidines, triophamine (1) and limaciamine (2), have been found to occur in three Polyceridae nudibranchs from Canary Islands. These compounds were previously reported from taxonomically related species collected from distinct geographical areas. Due to the peculiar occurrence of 1 and 2 in Polyceridae nudibranchs and, in par...

A new sacoglossan species of the genus Elysia Risso, 1818 from southern Italy is described based on its external morphology, colour pattern, radular teeth and reproductive system. Specimens of this new species were previously attributed to Elysia viridis (Montagu, 1804) because of morphological similarity, but maximum-likelihood and Bayesian analys...

The species of the genus Halgerda Bergh, 1880, are restricted to the Indo-Pacific; some being common inhabitants of reefs off the coast of Mozambique. These species have been relatively well studied morphologically, but few molecular data are available. During a seven-year period surveying the reefs of Mozambique, 11 Halgerda spp. were collected, s...

Entre la diversa clase de los Insectos, se encuentra Meloidae Gyllenhaal, 1810 una familia de coleópteros tóxicos peculiar debido a su impresionante complejidad de desarrollo y su defensa basada en sustancias tóxicas, localizadas en su hemolinfa. Entre ellos, destaca Berberomeloe majalis (Linnaeus, 1758), normalmente conocido de forma vulgar como “...

The sea hare Bursatella leachii (de Blainville 1817) (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Heterobranchia: Aplysiidae) is a pantropi‑cal sea slug that has colonized the Mediterranean Sea in modern times. Because the initial records in the non‑native range started in the Eastern Mediterranean, and its pattern of spread was relatively consistent with those observed...

Polyclads are free-living worms known mainly for their flattened body and their highly ramified intestine. Some species have a cosmopolitan distribution in the world’s oceans but most of them are uncommon. The Iberian Peninsula is not an exception, where the knowledge of this marine group is currently scarce. Due to the convergence of two different...

The present paper reports the first record of the nudibranch species Felimida purpurea (Risso, 1831) and Dondice banyulensis Portmann & Sandmeier 1960 for the marine Algerian fauna. The specimens of both species were found in September 2015 and April 2016 in the artificial reef of Oran, Algeria.

This paper provides the first comprehensive annotated and illustrated inventory of Nudipleura from Mozambique. A total of 267 species are recorded, including 61 putative new species, documented over a period of seven years from several localities along the coast. At least 20 species need further investigation through molecular and taxomic analysis....

Resumen de la investigación llevada a cabo sobre aspectos ambientales, biológicos y corológicos de la especie Berberomeloe majalis (Linnaeus, 1758) (Insecta, Coleoptera, Meloidae) en la provincia de Cádiz, entre los años 2014-2017 para la comunicación oral presentada en el Congreso Internacional de la Bienal de la RSEHN celebrado en Coimbra en Sept...

Bulbaeolidia Carmona, Pola, Gosliner & Cervera, 2013 is the most recently described genus within the family Aeolidiidae Gray, 1827. It is composed of four species: B. alba (Risbec, 1928), originally described from New Caledonia; B. japonica (Eliot, 1913), from Japan; B. sulphurea Caballer & Ortea, 2015, from the Galapagos Islands and B. oasis Cabal...

The genus Aldisa Bergh, 1878 is relatively poorly studied. Up to now, no species have been described from the Western Indian Ocean. Two new species of the genus Aldisa are described from Zavora (Mozambique), Aldisa fragaria sp. nov. and Aldisa zavorensis sp. nov. Both species are characterized by having two oval depressions on the dorsum, a red man...

A new species of the chromodorid genus Felimare (Gastropoda: Heterobranchia) of the Atlantic blue chromatic group is described using material from Cape Verde (eastern Atlantic). Felimare aurantimaculata n. sp. was described based on morphological characters, as well as a molecular phylogeny using two mitochondrial (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I an...

In this reply, we address the criticism directed recently to our work (Malaquias et al. 2016) by Galil et al. (2016) dismissing the hypothesis that the Suez Canal can act as a revolving door allowing marine species to move both ways between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. We reiterate that the presence in the Red Sea of the Indo-West Pacific...

A census of the “opisthobranch” fauna in the Faro Lake and connected canals (NE Sicily) has been realized by photo documentation and specimen samplings, carried out monthly from February 2010 to the present. A total of 47 species have been reported, nine of which are cited in the historic and recent literature (from 1969 to 2016) vs. 38 first recor...

A census of the “opisthobranch” fauna in the Faro Lake and connected canals (NE Sicily) has been realized by photo documentation and specimen samplings, carried out monthly from February 2010 to the present. A total of 47 species have been reported, nine of which are cited in the historic and recent literature (from 1969 to 2016) vs. 38 first recor...

Traditionally, species identification in nudibranch gastropods relies heavily on body color pattern. The Felimida clenchi species complex, a group of brightly colored Atlantic and Mediterranean species in the family Chromodorididae, has a history of exceptional controversy and discussion among taxonomists. The most widely accepted hypothesis is tha...

Aeolidia papillosa (Linnaeus, 1761) is a well-known aeolidiid species that has been reported to have a worldwide distribution in cold–temperate waters, mainly from the northern hemisphere. Molecular tools have recently shown that most cosmopolitan species usually belong to a taxonomic species complex. Here we used integrative taxonomy to test the r...

The aeolid Anteaeolidiella fijensis Carmona, Bhave, Salunkhe, Pola, Gosliner and Cervera, 2014 is reported for the first time from India. Differences in the external colouration compared with the original description hampered its identification, and therefore, a molecular approach was needed. Maximum-likelihood and Bayesian analyses of partial DNA...

The number of tropical species established in the Mediterranean Sea has risen at an unprecedented rate in the last 40–50 years, often entering the basin from the Red Sea and to a lesser extent by shipping or mariculture. The taxonomic identity of these alien species can be difficult to determine and DNA barcoding can help to clarify the status of q...

The aeolid nudibranch species Algarvia alba García-Gómez and Cervera 1989 was first described from two specimens collected in Sagres, Portugal (37°00’49^N, 008°55’31^W) in May 1988 (García-Gómez and Cervera 1989). It has not been observed since and because the collected individuals were not photographed alive there was a particular interest on obta...

The Flabellinidae Bergh, 1889 is one of the largest families of aeolid nudibranchs, but its systematics is far from being completely elucidated. Morphological analyses have been carried out to assess the evolutionary history of flabellinids (Gosliner & Kuzirian, 1990; Gosliner & Willan, 1991), while molecular analyses have mainly focused on a few s...