Chromodoris magnifica
| Chromodoris magnifica | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chromodoris magnifica in the Philippines | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| (unranked): | clade Heterobranchia clade Euthyneura clade Nudipleura clade Nudibranchia |
| Superfamily: | Doridoidea |
| Family: | Chromodorididae |
| Genus: | Chromodoris |
| Species: | C. magnifica |
| Binomial name | |
| Chromodoris magnifica (Quoy & Gaimard, 1832)[1] | |
Chromodoris magnifica is a species of nudibranch, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusk in the family Chromodorididae.
Distribution
This nudibranch is found in the central area of the Indo-Pacific region from Indonesia and the Philippines to New Guinea and Eastern Australia.[2]
Description
Chromodoris magnifica can reach a maximum size of 5 cm length.[3] The body is elongate with a foot which is distinct from the upper body by a skirt like mantle hiding partially the foot. The branched gills and the rhinophores are orange colour and can be withdraw in specific pockets under the skin in case of danger.[4] The specific epithet magnifica in Chromodoris magnifica means magnificent, so-named because of this nudibranch's striking, vibrant colors.
The background colour of the body is bluish which intensity varies from a specimen to another. On the mantle, the bluish area is outlined by two continuous black lines and a median continuous line cross it also. These bluish parts are often marked with dash-like black lines. The margin of the mantle is bordered with a large white band with a central orange colour line, the width of these lines is variable for each specimen.
The foot has three black continuous longitudinal lines. Its background colour is the same as its mantle. The margin of basis foot is outlined by an orange and a white line.
This species is easily confused with the similar looking Chromodoris quadricolor. Chromodoris magnifica can be distinguished by its submarginal orange border.[5]
Ecology
Chromodoris magnifica feeds on sponges and has been observed feeding on red sponges of the genus Negombata.
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Chromodoris magnifica juvenile in Puerto Galera, Philippines.
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Chromodoris magnifica.
References
- ↑ (French) Quoy, J. R. & Gaimard, J. P. (1832). Voyage de decouvertes de L'Astrolabe pendant les annees 1826-1827-1828-1829, sous le commandement de M.J. Dumont D'Urville, Zoologie, 2: 1-686.
- ↑ http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/chrmag
- ↑ http://fran.cornu.free.fr/affichage/affichage_nom.php?id_espece=1305&num_visu=2
- ↑ http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/rhinonud
- ↑ http://www.seaslugforum.net/message/15098 (accessed 17 December 2009)
Books
- Debelius, Helmut, 2001, Nudibranchs and Sea Snails: Indo-Pacific Field Guide, IKAN - Unterwasserarchiv, Frankfurt, Germany.
- P.L.Beesley,G.J.B. Ross,A.Wells,Mollusca-The southern synthesis, vol.5, CSIRO, 1998,ISBN 0-643-05756-0
- David Behrens, Nudibranch behaviour, Newworld Publication INC., 2005, ISBN 978-1878348418
- Gary Cobb & Richard Willan, Undersea jewels- a colour guide to nudibranchs, Australian Biological Resources Study, 2006, ISBN 0642568472