Diversidoris crocea
| Diversidoris crocea | |
|---|---|
| |
| A live individual of Diversidoris crocea in Guam, head end towards the right | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| (unranked): | clade Heterobranchia
clade Euthyneura |
| Superfamily: | |
| Family: | |
| Genus: | |
| Species: | D. crocea
|
| Binomial name | |
| Diversidoris crocea (Rudman, 1986)
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Noumea crocea Rudman, 1986 (basionym) | |
Diversidoris crocea is a species of colorful sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusk in the family Chromodorididae.[1]
Distribution
This species is found in the tropical western Pacific, including: Indonesia, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Guam, and south to Queensland, Australia.[2]
Description
This nudibranch is usually less than 2 inches in length. It has a yellow body with a pale mantle margin that has two semi-permanent mantle folds about mid-body. The rhinophores and branchia (gills) are also yellow. However, identifying individual yellow sea slugs within the genus Diversidoris can be challenging because yellow forms exist in many related species.
Ecology
This species is often found on the yellow sponge Darwinella, which appears to be its preferred food source.[3]
References
- ^ WoRMS, World Register of Marine Species
- ^ Noumea crocea, Sea Slug Forum.
- ^ Noumea crocea food source, Sea Slug Forum.
- Rudman W.B. (1986) The Chromodorididae (Ophistobranchia: Mollusca) of the Indo-West Pacific: Noumea flava color group. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 88: 307-404. page(s): 382
- Debelius, H. & Kuiter, R.H. (2007) Nudibranchs of the world. ConchBooks, Frankfurt, 360 pp. ISBN 978-3-939767-06-0 page(s): 206
- Gosliner, T.M., Behrens, D.W. & Valdés, Á. (2008) Indo-Pacific Nudibranchs and seaslugs. A field guide to the world's most diverse fauna. Sea Challengers Natural History Books, Washington, 426 pp. page(s): 245
Further reading
- Marshall, J.G. & Willan, R.C. 1999. Nudibranchs of Heron Island, Great Barrier Reef. Leiden : Backhuys 257 pp.
External links
- Johnson R.F. & Gosliner T.M. (2012) Traditional taxonomic groupings mask evolutionary history: A molecular phylogeny and new classification of the chromodorid nudibranchs. PLoS ONE 7(4): e33479
- Noumea crocea on Sea Slug Forum
- Noumea crocea on Nudipixel
