Peltodoris nobilis

Peltodoris nobilis, common names sea lemon, or the noble dorid, is a species of colorful sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusk in the family Discodorididae.

This species was previously placed in the genus Anisodoris and was known for a long time as Anisodoris nobilis. Subsequently it was known as Diaulula nobilis.

This animal gives off a pleasant citrus smell when it is handled, and this (along with its yellow coloration) is what is responsible for the common name "sea lemon".

Contents 1 Distribution 2 Description 3 References 4 External links

Distribution

This species occurs in the Eastern Pacific Ocean from Alaska to Baja California. It eats sponges.

Description

This nudibranch is variable in color, from a very pale yellow through a rich yellow, to a rather dark orange. The gill rosette is tinged with white at the tips.

The dorsum is covered in tubercles. There are a number of dark spots on the dorsum, but never on the tubercles themselves. These dark spots vary a lot in number from one individual to the next.

This animal can grow to be as large as 200 mm, or nearly 8 inches in length.

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 fact sheet: [1]
• Slug Site: [2]