Hypselodoris maridadilus

Hypselodoris maridadilus is a species of colourful sea slug or dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Chromodorididae. It feeds on sponges.[2]

Hypselodoris maridadilus
Hypselodoris maridadilus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Heterobranchia
Order: Nudibranchia
Suborder: Doridina
Superfamily: Doridoidea
Family: Chromodorididae
Genus: Hypselodoris
Species:
H. maridadilus
Binomial name
Hypselodoris maridadilus
Rudman, 1977[1]

Distribution edit

This nudibranch is found in the Western Indian Ocean, from South Africa to the Red Sea.[3]

Description edit

Hypselodoris maridadilus has a white to cream or yellow body with five purple longitudinal lines, and a purple bordered mantle.[4] The gills and rhinophores are bright orange. It is similar in appearance to Hypselodoris whitei which differs slightly in having white-tipped rhinophores and gills. This species can reach a total length of at least 35 mm (1.4 in).[5][6]

References edit

  1. ^ Rudman, W. B. (1977). Chromodorid opisthobranch Mollusca from East Africa and the tropical West Pacific. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 61: 351-397, p. 359
  2. ^ MolluscaBase (2018). Hypselodoris maridadilus Rudman, 1977. Accessed on 2019-01-17
  3. ^ Rudman, W.B., 1999 (March 1) Hypselodoris maridadilus Rudman, 1977. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.
  4. ^ Bidgrain, P., 2018. Hypselodoris maridadilus South West Indian Ocean sea slugs and flatworms, accessed 2019-01-17.
  5. ^ Gosliner, T.M. & Johnson, R.F. (1999) Phylogeny of Hypselodoris (Nudibranchia: Chromodorididae) with a review of the monophyletic clade of Indo-Pacific species, including descriptions of twelve new species. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 125: 1-114
  6. ^ Gosliner, T.M., Behrens, D.W. & Valdés, Á., 2018. Nudibranch and Sea Slug Identification - Indo-Pacific. New World Publications; 2nd Revised, Updated edition. 452 pp. ISBN 1878348671, ISBN 978-1878348678, p. 184