Family JULIIDAE Smith, 1885

Family Juliidae. Julia japonica. (from Beesley, Ross & Wells 1998) [R. Plant]

Museums

Regional Maps

• Julidae Smith, E.A. 1885. Report on the Lamellibranchiata collected by H.M.S. Challenger during the years 1873–1876. Report on the Scientific Results of the Voyage of H.M.S. Challenger 1873–1876, Zoology 13(35): 1-341, 25 pls.

  Type genus:

   Julia Gould, 1862.

Introduction

Members of the family Juliidae are bivalved gastropods. The shell in these sacoglossans commences as a typical spiral embryionic protoconch. But once the adult shell (teleoconch) starts to form, anterior and posterior indentations in the depositing or growing edge of the mantle create a left “valve” retaining the protoconch at the apex or umbo and containing most of the visceral mass, and a slightly smaller right “valve” containing the organs of the mantle cavity. The animal is slender, the tail short, eyes are distinct and close together in a small clear dome on the top of the neck, and the rhinophores are short and cylindrical. The animal can withdraw completely within the shell and close the “valves” tightly together, and gives off a white viscid discharge when disturbed. Bivalved gastropods are very cryptic on their Caulerpa food hosts. Compiled from Burn (in press).

General References

Beesley, P.L., Ross, G.J.B. & Wells, A. (eds) 1998. Mollusca: The Southern Synthesis. Fauna of Australia. Melbourne : CSIRO Publishing Vol. 5(Part B) pp. vi–viii, 565–1234. [964]

Burn, R. 2006. A checklist and bibliography of the Opisthobranchia (Mollusca: Gastropoda) of Victoria and the Bass Strait area, south-eastern Australia. Museum Victoria Science Report 10: 1-42

History of changes