Whip fan nudibranch
| whip fan nudibranch | |
|---|---|
 | |
| white individual of Tritonia nilsodhneri | |
 | |
| well camouflaged Tritonia nilsodhneri | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| (unranked): | clade Heterobranchia clade Euthyneura |
| Superfamily: | Tritonioidea |
| Family: | Tritoniidae |
| Genus: | Tritonia |
| Species: | T. nilsodhneri |
| Binomial name | |
| Tritonia nilsodhneri Marcus, 1983 | |
The whip fan nudibranch, scientific name Tritonia nilsodhneri, is a species of dendronotid nudibranch. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Tritoniidae.
The specific name nilsodhneri is in honor of Swedish malacologist Nils Hjalmar Odhner.
Distribution
This species is found in the north Atlantic Ocean off the United Kingdom, Ireland and France. It is also found off South Africa. Around the South African coast it is found on both sides of the Cape Peninsula. It is known from 10-30 m.[1]
Description
The whip fan nudibranch is a well-camouflaged animal which mimics the gorgonians on which it feeds. It is a small nudibranch, reaching 30 mm. Its branched rhinophores extend from cup-like sheaths. Paired branching projections down the length of the body resemble the feeding polyps of its prey species of sea fan.[2]
Ecology
The whip fan nudibranch feeds on gorgonians of the genus Eunicella. It lays a thin zigzag spiral of eggs around the main axis of these sea fans. The egg mass is also coloured to match the gorgonians.
References
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tritonia nilsodhneri. |