First record of Calma gobioophaga Calado and Urgorri, 2002 (Gastropoda: Nudibranchia)in the Mediterranean sea

Abstract

Specimens of the nudibranch genus Calma were observed under boulders at two Croatian localities while feeding on gobiid eggs. Some ambiguous morphological features compared with the original descriptions of the known species of the genus, C. glaucoides and C. gobioophaga hampered easy identification. Genetic data (COI and 16S sequences) confirmed the distinction between the two species of the genus Calma, and allowed unambiguous identification of the Croatian specimens as Calma gobioophaga. This is the first record of this species for the Mediterranean and extends its distribution range remarkably. Finally, the eggs consumed by the Croatian C. gobioophaga specimens have been taxonomically identified by using the 12S rDNA marker as Gobius cobitis.