| Chelidonura punctata | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Heterobranchia |
| Order: | Cephalaspidea |
| Family: | Aglajidae |
| Genus: | Chelidonura |
| Species: | C. punctata |
| Binomial name | |
| Chelidonura punctata | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
Chelidonura hirundinina var. punctataEliot, 1903 (basionym) Contents | |
Chelidonura punctata is a species of sea slug, or "headshield slug", a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the family Aglajidae. [2]
Chelidonura punctata was described from Zanzibar as Chelidonura hirundinina var. punctata. [3] It is widespread through the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean. [4]
This species has a maximum size of 30 mm. The background color is dark brown or black and the body is covered with large orange or yellow spots. The margin of the parapods are marked with a thin white line. The two rather long "tails" at the end of the animal are characteristic of the genus Chelidonura, the left one is always longer. Chelidonura always have well-developed sensory cilia on the anterior edge of the head which are used to find the prey.
Chelidonura punctata feeds on acoel flatworms. [5] This headshield slug lives on coral reefs in shallow water.
Nudibranchs are a group of soft-bodied marine gastropod molluscs that shed their shells after their larval stage. They are noted for their often extraordinary colours and striking forms, and they have been given colourful nicknames to match, such as "clown", "marigold", "splendid", "dancer", "dragon", and "sea rabbit". Currently, about 3,000 valid species of nudibranchs are known.
Sea slug is a common name for some marine invertebrates with varying levels of resemblance to terrestrial slugs. Most creatures known as sea slugs are gastropods, i.e. they are sea snails that over evolutionary time have either completely lost their shells, or have seemingly lost their shells due to having a greatly reduced or internal shell. The name "sea slug" is most often applied to nudibranchs, as well as to a paraphyletic set of other marine gastropods without obvious shells.
Opisthobranchs is a now informal name for a large and diverse group of specialized complex gastropods which used to be united in the subclass Opisthobranchia. That taxon is no longer considered to represent a monophyletic grouping.
The order Cephalaspidea, also known as the headshield slugs and bubble snails, is a major taxon of sea slugs and bubble snails, marine gastropod mollusks within the larger clade Euopisthobranchia. Bubble shells is another common name for these families of marine gastropods, some of which have thin bubble-like shells. This clade contains more than 600 species.
Aglajidae is a family of often colorful, medium-sized, sea slugs, marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusks. These are not nudibranchs; instead they are headshield slugs, in the clade Cephalaspidea.
Chelidonura varians is a species of small sea slug, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusc in the order Cephalaspidea, the headshield slugs.
Chelidonura hirundinina is a species of small and colorful aglajid sea slug, a shell-less opisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the family Aglajidae.
Chelidonura pallida is a species of sea slug, or "headshield slug", a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the family Aglajidae.
Chelidonura is a genus of small, sometimes colorful, sea slugs. These are headshield slugs or cephalaspideans, marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusks in the family Aglajidae.
Mariaglaja inornata, also called the inornate headshield slug, is a species of sea slug or headshield slug, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusc in the family Aglajidae.
Nembrotha cristata is a species of colourful sea slug, a polycerid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Polyceridae. This species of sea slug is black with green markings; adults are around 50 mm long, and they live on rock or coral reefs in the tropical Indo-West Pacific Ocean.
Chelidonura amoena is a species of sea slug, or "headshield slug", a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the family Aglajidae.
Halgerda punctata is a species of sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, shell-less marine gastropod mollusks in the family Discodorididae.
Chelidonura sandrana is a species of sea slug, or "headshield slug", a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the family Aglajidae.
Notodoris gardineri is a sea slug, which is a species of nudibranch, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusc in the family Aegiridae.
Chelidonura livida is a species of sea slug, or "headshield slug", a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the family Aglajidae.
Chelidonura electra is a species of sea slug, a "headshield slug", a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the family Aglajidae. The species name comes from the daughter of Agamemnon, Electra, and the Greek goddess of the same name, meaning "shining", with reference to the brilliance of this slug.
Chelidonura mariagordae is a species of sea slug or headshield slug, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusc in the family Aglajidae. It is chiefly found in the Bahamas. The species is also known as Chelidonura normani, a name it was given in 2011 by Dupont & Valdés.
Biuve fulvipunctata, the white-speckled headshield slug, is a species of sea slug or headshield slug, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusc in the family Aglajidae. This species is widespread in the Indian and Pacific Oceans but has invaded the Mediterranean Sea since 1961, despite apparently being absent from the Red Sea until recorded there in the 21st century. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Biuve.
Tubulophilinopsis gardineri, the Gardiner’s philinopsis, or Gardiner's headshield slug is a species of sea slug, a shell-less opisthobranch gastropod mollusc in the family Aglajidae. It is native to the Indo-Pacific region.
