Limacia Müller, 1781

Genus Limacia Müller, 1781 View in CoL

TYPE SPECIES. — Doris clavigera Müller, 1776

REMARKS

MacFarland (1905) introduced the genus Laila MacFarland, 1905 , based on Laila cockerelli MacFarland, 1905 , as an “allied” to the genera Triopha Johnston, 1838 and Issa Bergh, 1880 , but he did not refer to the genus Limacia Müller, 1781 . The description of L. cockerelli was later completed with drawings of the radula and the animal in the living form ( MacFarland 1966). Laila janssi Bertsch & Ferreira, 1974 , presents similar morphological characteristics as L. cockerelli , differing on the colour pattern and in some radular features such as a smaller number of teeth rows, a rougher rachidian plate texture and some variations on the shape of the outer lateral teeth ( Bertsch & Ferreira 1974).

The genus Laila has the same morphological characteristics as the genus Limacia : pallial margin with numerous club-shaped papillae; presence of tubercles on the notum; veil appendages canaliculated; retractile rhinophores; branchial leaves non retractile; two inner lateral teeth hook-shaped, the innermost being thinner and longer than the outermost, and many outer lateral teeth quadrangularshaped. Laila and Limacia only differ in the fact that Limacia clavigera Müller, 1776 , lacks a rachidian plate in the radula, which is present in both L. cockerelli and L. janssi . Since most of the morphological features of Laila and Limacia are very similar, just the presence of rachidian plate in the radula of Laila does not seem to be enough to consider Laila as a different genus. Therefore both genera are here regarded as synonyms, with Limacia Müller, 1781 having priority. This idea was already proposed by Ortea et al. (1989).