Baeolidia palythoae

Baeolidia palythoae
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
(unranked): clade Heterobranchia

clade Euthyneura
clade Nudipleura
clade Nudibranchia
clade Dexiarchia
clade Cladobranchia
clade Aeolidida

Superfamily: Aeolidioidea
Family: Aeolidiidae
Genus: Baeolidia
Species: B. palythoae
Binomial name
Baeolidia palythoae
Gosliner, 1985[1]

Baeolidia palythoae is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Aeolidiidae.[2]

Distribution

The holotype of this species was collected in the intertidal zone at Umgazana, south of Port St. Johns, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Additional specimens were collected at localities on the coast of South Africa from Umgazana to Jesser Point, Sodwana Bay National Park, Natal.[1]

Description

The body of Baeolidia palythoae is translucent yellowish. The yellow colour is overlaid with a reticulate brown pattern, which varies in density. The tip of each ceras bears a small opaque white spot. Ventrally and slightly eccentric to the apex is a larger spot of dark brown pigment. This pattern of colouration did not vary in any of the numerous specimens of this species observed.[1]

Ecology

Baeolidia palythoae feeds on colonial sea anemones of the genus Palythoa.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Gosliner, T. (1985). The aeolid nudibranch family Aeolidiidae (Gastropoda, Opisthobranchia) from tropical southern Africa. Annals of the South African Museum, 95, 233–267, p.245.
  2. Rosenberg, G.; Bouchet, P. (2014). Baeolidia palythoae (Gosliner, 1985). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2015-02-24.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 8/28/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.