Diaulula sandiegensis
| Diaulula sandiegensis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A pair of Diaulula sandiegensis mating | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| (unranked): | clade Heterobranchia clade Euthyneura clade Nudipleura clade Nudibranchia |
| Superfamily: | Doridoidea |
| Family: | Discodorididae |
| Genus: | Diaulula |
| Species: | D. sandiegensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Diaulula sandiegensis (Cooper, 1862) | |
Diaulula sandiegensis is a species of sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusk in the family Discodorididae.
The specific epithet sandiegensis means: "of San Diego", the Southern California city.
Distribution
This dorid nudibranch occurs in the eastern Pacific, from Alaska to Baja California, Mexico. It also occurs in Japan.
Description
This nudibranch grows to about 100 mm (4") in length. The background color can be white or any shade of yellow to a yellowish brown, and it has characteristic markings consisting of a few (and sometimes more numerous) brown rings or irregular spots.
Life habits
This species feeds on sponges.
References
Behrens D. W., 1980, Pacific Coast Nudibranchs: a guide to the opisthobranchs of the northeastern Pacific, Sea Challenger Books, Washington
External links
Sea Slug Forum species factsheet: