Goniodoris castanea
| Goniodoris castanea | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Plate from A monograph of the British nudibranchiate Mollusca illustrating Goniodoris castanea | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| (unranked): | clade Heterobranchia clade Euthyneura |
| Superfamily: | Onchidoridoidea |
| Family: | Goniodorididae |
| Genus: | Goniodoris |
| Species: | G. castanea |
| Binomial name | |
| Goniodoris castanea Alder & Hancock, 1845[1] | |
Goniodoris castanea is a species of sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Goniodorididae.
Distribution
This species was first described from Salcombe Estuary, Devon. It has subsequently been reported widely in Britain and Ireland.
Description
This goniodorid nudibranch is variable in colour, usually red-brown or dark purple but also bright red. Most individuals have scattered irregular small patches of white or grey all over the body.[2]
Ecology
Goniodoris castanea feeds on tunicates of the genera Botryllus and Botrylloides, family Botryllidae.
References
- ↑ Alder, J. & Hancock, A., 1845. Notice of a new genus and several new species of nudibranchiate Mollusca. Annals & Magazine of Natural History, 16: 311-316.
- ↑ Picton, B.E. & Morrow, C.C., 2010. [In] Encyclopedia of Marine Life of Britain and Ireland