Asperspina 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

Slug

Slug is a common name that is normally applied to any gastropod mollusc that lacks a shell, has a very reduced shell, or has a small internal shell...

s, 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 mollusks within the clade Acochlidiacea

Acochlidiacea

Acochlidiacea, common name acochlidians, are a taxonomic clade of very unusual sea snails and sea and freshwater slugs, aquatic gastropod mollusks within the large clade Heterobranchia...

.

Taxonomy

Asperspinidae has been listed as a synonym of Parhedylidae in the taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi

Taxonomy of the Gastropoda (Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005)

The taxonomy of the Gastropoda as it was revised by Philippe Bouchet and Jean-Pierre Rocroi is currently the most up-to-date overall system for classifying gastropod mollusks...

 (2005).

Sensu Schrödl & Neusser (2010) is Asperspina is the only genus in the family Asperspinidae. Minicheviellidae is a junior synonym of Asperspinidae.

Species

Species within the genus Asperspina include:

• Asperspina brambelli (Swedmark, 1968)
• Asperspina murmanica (Kudinskaya & Minichev, 1978) - synonym: Minicheviella murmanica (Kuchinskaja & Minichev, 1978)
• Asperspina rhopalotecta Salvini-Plawen, 1973
• Asperspina loricata (Swedmark, 1968)
• Asperspina riseri (Morse, 1976)

Further reading

• "Heartless and primitive? 3D reconstruction of the polar acochlidian gastropod Asperspina murmanica". doi:10.1111/j.1463-6395.2008.00342.x
• Hochberg R. (2007). "Serotonin-like Immunoreactivity in the Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems of the Interstitial Acochlidean Asperspina sp. (Opisthobranchia)". Biological Bulletin 213: 43-54. HTM.