Aiteng is a genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of sea slug

Sea slug

Sea slug is a common name used for several different groups of saltwater snails that either lack a shell or have only an internal shell, in other words this name is used for various lineages of marine gastropod mollusks that are either not conchiferous or appear not to be.The phrase "sea slug" is...

s, a marine

Marine (ocean)

Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...

 gastropod molluscs.

Aiteng is the only genus in the family Aitengidae.

The generic name Aiteng is derived from the name of a black puppet Ai Theng, which is one of the shadow play

Shadow play

Shadow play or shadow puppetry Shadow puppets have a long history in China, India, Turkey and Java, and as a popular form of entertainment for both children and adults in many countries around the world. A shadow puppet is a cut-out figure held between a source of light and a translucent screen...

 (Nang yai

Nang drama

Nang yai is a form of shadow play found in Thailand. Puppets are made of buffalo hide, while the story is narrated by songs, chants and music....

) puppets in southern Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

.

Taxonomy

Swennen & Buatip (2009) tentatively classified Aitengidae within the Sacoglossa

Sacoglossa

Sacoglossa, commonly known as the sacoglossans or the "sap-sucking sea slugs", are a clade of small sea slugs and sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks that belong to the clade Heterobranchia...

, but they noted that some characteristics of the nervous system

Nervous system of gastropods

The nervous system of gastropods consists of a series of paired ganglia connected by major nerve cords, and a number of smaller branching peripheral nerves.The brain of a gastropod consists of three pairs of ganglia, all located close to the oesophagus...

 are similar to those of the Cephalaspidea

Cephalaspidea

The suborder Cephalaspidea, also known as the headshield slugs and bubble snails, is a clade of sea slugs and bubble snails, marine gastropod mollusks within the larger clade Euopisthobranchia....

 and Acochlidioidea (mentioned as Acochlidea).

Aitengidae clusters within the Hedylopsacea as sister group to Pseudunelidae and Acochlidiidae

Acochlidiidae

Acochlidiidae are a taxonomic family of shell-less freshwater gastropods , aquatic gastropod mollusks within the clade Acochlidiacea.- 2005 taxonomy :...

 or basal within Hedylopsacea. Philippe Bouchet

Philippe Bouchet

Philippe Bouchet is a French scientist, a zoologist whose primary scientific field of study is malacology. He is a senior professor at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris, and is head of the Malacology laboratory and the Taxonomy Collections Unit there...

 (2010) classified Aitengidae within the superfamily Hedylopsoidea

Hedylopsoidea

Hedylopsoidea was defined as a taxonomic superfamily of sea slugs, mostly marine gastropod mollusks within the informal group Opisthobranchia according to the taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi ....

.

Species

Species in the genus Aiteng include:

• Aiteng ater
  Aiteng ater
  Aiteng ater is a species of sea slug, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Aitengidae.The specific name ater is from Latin language and means black, in reference to the appearance of the slug on the mud....
  
  Swennen & Buatip, 2009 - is the only (described) species in the genus Aiteng
• nomen nudum
  Nomen nudum
  The phrase nomen nudum is a Latin term, meaning "naked name", used in taxonomy...
  
   Aiteng mysticus
  Aiteng mysticus
  Aiteng mysticus is an undescribed species of sea slug, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Aitengidae....
  
  from Japan - This is still undescribed species was found in Hisamatsu, Miyako Island, Okinawa, Japan. Morphologically it clearly belongs to the Aitengidae, but shows differences to Aiteng ater at genus or species level. Its affinity to Aiteng ater is confirmed by comparison of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA-sequences.

Distribution

The distribution of Aiteng ater includes Thailand. The distribution of Aiteng mysticus includes Japan.

Ecology

Aiteng ater lives "amphibiously" in mangrove forests in the intertidal zone

Intertidal zone

The intertidal zone is the area that is above water at low tide and under water at high tide . This area can include many different types of habitats, with many types of animals like starfish, sea urchins, and some species of coral...

, on the mud.