Nudibranchs belong to the order Nudibranchia, 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.
Glaucus atlanticus is a species of small, blue sea slug, a pelagic (open-ocean) aeolid nudibranch, a shell-less gastropod mollusk in the family Glaucidae.
Cerata, singular ceras, are anatomical structures found externally in nudibranch sea slugs, especially in aeolid nudibranchs, marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusks in the clade Aeolidida. The word ceras comes from the Greek word "κέρας", meaning "horn", a reference to the shape of these structures.
Aeolidia papillosa, known as the common grey sea slug, is a species of nudibranch in the family Aeolidiidae.
Phyllodesmium briareum is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Facelinidae.
The purple lady nudibranch, Paraflabellina funeka, is a species of aeolid nudibranch, and is a very colourful sea slug. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Flabellinidae.
The white-edged nudibranch, Coryphella capensis, previously known as Fjordia capensis, is a species of sea slug, specifically an aeolid nudibranch, a colourful sea slug. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Coryphellidae.
Flabellina is a genus of sea slugs, specifically aeolid nudibranchs. These animals are marine gastropod molluscs in the family Flabellinidae.
Phyllodesmium is a genus of predatory sea slugs, aeolid nudibranchs, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Facelinidae.
Phyllodesmium longicirrum, common name the solar-powered phyllodesmium, is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Facelinidae.
Pteraeolidia is a genus of sea slugs, aeolid nudibranchs, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Facelinidae.
Phyllodesmium rudmani is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Facelinidae.
Phyllodesmium hyalinum is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Facelinidae.
Phyllodesmium jakobsenae is a species of sea slug, an aolid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Facelinidae.
A cnidosac is an anatomical feature that is found in the group of sea slugs known as aeolid nudibranchs, a clade of marine opisthobranch gastropod molluscs. A cnidosac contains cnidocytes, stinging cells that are also known as cnidoblasts or nematocysts. These stinging cells are not made by the nudibranch, but by the species that it feeds upon. However, once the nudibranch is armed with these stinging cells, they are used in its own defense.
Anteaeolidiella ireneae is a species of sea slugs, an aeolid nudibranch. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Aeolidiidae.
Spurilla neapolitana, the Neapolitan spurilla, is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Aeolidiidae. It is native to the western Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. This species was first described as Eolis neapolitana by the Italian naturalist Stefano delle Chiaje in 1841. However, although some authorities quote the year as 1823, the species does not appear in the first volume of delle Chiaje's memoirs, which was published that year. The species was later reassigned to the genus Spurilla.
Aeolidia loui is a species of sea slugs, an aeolid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Aeolidiidae. It has been regarded as the same species as the NE Atlantic Aeolidia papillosa but is now known to be a distinct species. Common names include shaggy mouse nudibranch, and shag-rug nudibranch.
Aeolidia filomenae is a species of sea slugs, an aeolid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Aeolidiidae. Previously confused with Aeolidia papillosa, this species occurs on coasts of the NE Atlantic Ocean from Scotland south to Portugal.
Phyllodesmium poindimiei is an Alcyonacea feeding, aeolid nudibranch Gastropod belonging to the family Facelinidae. Cerata are important in this clade in terms of their physical defense and efficient metabolic processes. This species is spread sporadically along tropical coastal regions such as Australia, Hawaii, and the Indo-Pacific living in diverse marine habitats such as coral reefs. Unlike other species in the Opisthobranch Mollusca clade, P. poindimiei’s lush pink cerata are used for defensive purposes other than Nematocyst (dinoflagellate) capture and toxin release. Organismal ties within these thriving, tropical ecosystems can be determinants of environment change, which affects massive coral ecosystems. Continuously changing marine ecosystems, such as coral reefs, are directly linked to the evolution of organisms that live and thrive in the tropics such as the soft nudibrach P. poindimiei.
