Cerberilla ambonensis

Cerberilla ambonensis
The nudibranch Cerberilla ambonensis, East Timor
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
(unranked): clade Heterobranchia
clade Euthyneura
clade Nudipleura
clade Nudibranchia
clade Dexiarchia
clade Cladobranchia
clade Aeolidida
Superfamily: Aeolidioidea
Family: Aeolidiidae
Genus: Cerberilla
Species: C. ambonensis
Binomial name
Cerberilla ambonensis
Bergh, 1905[1]

Cerberilla ambonensis is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch, a marine heterobranch mollusc in the family Aeolidiidae.[2]

Distribution

This species was described from Ambon Island, Indonesia.[3]

Description

All Cerberilla species have a broad foot and the cerata are numerous, arranged in transverse rows across the body. In this species the edge of the foot has distinctive black or dark brown stripes at right angles to the margin. The cerata are brown with a yellow or orange band on the dorsal surface and the foot is translucent white. The long oral tentacles have a pale yellow band near the translucent base, then a bright blue band which changes to black and then to pale yellow and finally to a black tip.[3] This is slightly different to Bergh's illustration which shows dark grey oral tentacles with yellow tips.[3]

Ecology

Species of Cerberilla live on and in sandy substrates where they burrow beneath the surface and feed on burrowing sea anemones.

References

  1. Bergh, L.S.R. (1905). Die Opisthobranchiata der Siboga-Expedition. Monographie 50: 1-248, pls. 1-20
  2. Bouchet, P. (2015). Cerberilla ambonensis. In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2015-11-09
  3. 1 2 3 Rudman, W.B., 1999 (November 29) Cerberilla ambonensis Bergh, 1905. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.
  • Cobb, G. & Willan, R.C. 2005. New records of nudibranchs (Gastropoda, Opisthobranchia) for Australia and for southern Queensland. Vita Malacologica 3: 61-68
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