Kalinga ornata | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Gastropoda |
Order: | Nudibranchia |
Superfamily: | Polyceroidea |
Family: | Polyceridae |
Genus: | Kalinga |
Species: | K. ornata |
Binomial name | |
Kalinga ornata | |
Kalinga ornata is a species of large, colourful nudibranch in the family Polyceridae. It is the only species in the genus Kalinga, which is the type genus of the subfamily Kalinginae. [2]
Kalinga ornata resides in the deep coastal waters of the Western Indo-Pacific (though it has also been reported from Hawaii). [3] [4] While it occasionally washes up in shallow regions, live individuals have been observed by divers at a depth of 6 m, [5] they have been trawled from depths of 76 m, [6] and observed by an ROV at a depth of 182 m. [4]
Kalinga ornata is nocturnal, reaching sizes of at least 130 mm, and prefers sandy or silty substrate. [3] [5] [7] It has been shown to feed on brittle stars, a completely unique diet for a nudibranch. [8]