notaspidean opisthobranch Bathyberthella antarctica

Bathyberthella antarctica is found throughout Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula, South Shetland Islands, South Orkney Islands, South Sandwich Islands, South Georgia Island, and Bouvet Island at depths from 120 to 2,080 meters [1,2,3,5,6,7,8]. B. antarctica has an oval body with a prominent gill on the right side and an internal large oval uncalcified shell covering the visceral mass [1,4].


The mantle/notum of Bathyberthella antarctica can be unpigmented or scattered with grey blotches and adults are opaque white, creamy-grey, or dirty white, often with black pigment in depressions [2,4]. The mantle/notal surface of B. antarctica is smooth or with small groups of low pustules [2].


The foot of B. antarctica is large and thick with the front margin divided into upper and lower lips [2,4]. B. antarctica can be up to seventeen centimeters long [2].

1: Bulletin de l'Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique / Bulletin van het Koninklijk Belgisch Instituut voor Natuurwetenschappen. Biologie 66:29-40, 1996; 2: Zoologica Scripta 23(4):313-324, 1994; 3: Polar Biology 14(4):261-268, 1994; 4: Veliger 29(3):292-302, 1987; 5: Fauna der Antarktis. J Sieg & JW Wagele, eds. Berlin : P. Parey, 1990; 6: US National Museum Polar Invertebrate Catalog at http://www.nmnh.si.edu/iz/usap/usapdb.html; 7: Biodiversity and Systematics of Antarctic Deep Water Opisthobranchia. M Schrodl. IN: ANDEEP, Cruise Report ANT- XIX/3 and ANT-XIX/4 (ANDEEP I and II), ANtarctic Benthic DEEP-sea Biodiversity (ANDEEP): Colonisation History and Recent Community Patterns. Zoological Institute and Zoological Museum, University of Hamburg, Germany. pp. 62-63. www.biologie.uni-hamburg.de/zim/niedere2/cruise_report.pdf; 8: Polar Biology 29(2):83-96, 2006

Text ©Peter Brueggeman. Photograph ©Canadian Museum of Nature (Kathleen Conlan) & Luke Hunt. Photographs may not be used in any form without the express written permission of Canadian Museum of Nature (Kathleen Conlan) and Luke Hunt.