Crowned nudibranch

Last updated

Crowned nudibranch
Crowned polycera capensis.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Heterobranchia
Order: Nudibranchia
Suborder: Doridina
Superfamily: Polyceroidea
Family: Polyceridae
Genus: Polycera
Species:
P. capensis
Binomial name
Polycera capensis
Quoy & Gaimard, 1824

The crowned nudibranch (Polycera capensis) is a species of dorid nudibranch. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Polyceridae.

Contents

Distribution

This species is found off the southern African coast from Luderitz in Namibia to Port Alfred in South Africa. It is found from the intertidal to 35 m. [1] It has been reported from Australia. [2]

Description

Polycera capensis Crowned closeup polycera capensis.jpg
Polycera capensis

The crowned nudibranch is a smooth-bodied variably coloured nudibranch. The ground colour is white or grey and there are usually black, yellow or orange stripes longitudinally along the notum, though these can be absent. The head has six yellow projections. The gills and rhinophores are black, and may be spotted with yellow. Alongside the gills is a pair of yellow projections. The animal may reach 50 mm in total length. [3] A study using DNA sequencing found that there were two species amongst specimens identified as P. capensis, one of which appears to be the Twin-crowned nudibranch of Gosliner, 1987. [4]

Ecology

The crowned nudibranch feeds on bryozoans of the genus Bugula . Its egg ribbon is a wavy white collar.

Related Research Articles

<i>Limacia clavigera</i> Species of gastropod

Limacia clavigera, sometimes known by the common name orange-clubbed sea slug, is a sea slug, a species of dorid nudibranch. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Polyceridae.

<i>Polycera faeroensis</i> Species of gastropod

Polycera faeroensis is a species of sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusk in the family Polyceridae.

<i>Polycera</i> Genus of gastropods

Polycera is a genus of sea slugs, specifically nudibranchs, shell-less marine gastropod molluscs in the family Polyceridae.

<i>Rostanga elandsia</i> Species of gastropod

Rostanga elandsia, is a species of dorid nudibranch. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Discodorididae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape dorid</span> Species of gastropod

The Cape dorid is a species of sea slug, a dorid nudibranch. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Chromodorididae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inkspot nudibranch</span> Species of gastropod

The inkspot nudibranch, Ceratosoma ingozi, is a species of colourful sea slug, a dorid nudibranch. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Chromodorididae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-spotted nudibranch</span> Species of gastropod

The white-spotted nudibranch is a species of sea slug, a dorid nudibranch. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Dendrodorididae.

<i>Okenia amoenula</i> Species of gastropod

The fiery nudibranch, Okenia amoenula, is a species of colourful sea slug, specifically a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Goniodorididae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giraffe spot nudibranch</span> Species of gastropod

The giraffe spot nudibranch, Ancula sp., as designated by Gosliner, 1987, is a species of colourful sea slug, specifically a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Goniodorididae. As of November 2009, it remained undescribed by science.

<i>Polycera quadrilineata</i> Species of gastropod

Polycera quadrilineata, is a sea slug, a species of dorid nudibranch. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Polyceridae. The specific epithet quadrilineata means four-lined and refers to the four longitudinal black lines present on the original specimen. This species is sometimes called the fourline nudibranch. In 2020 a integrative molecular and morphological study showed that P. quadrilineata was a complex of two species in the NE Atlantic and one of these species was given the new name Polycera norvegica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twin-crowned nudibranch</span> Species of gastropod

The twin-crowned nudibranch, scientific name Polycera sp., as designated by Gosliner, 1987, is a species of dorid nudibranch. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Polyceridae. As of November 2009, it was undescribed by science.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tasselled nudibranch</span> Species of gastropod

The tasselled nudibranch, scientific name Kaloplocamus ramosus, is a species of sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, and a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Polyceridae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black nudibranch</span> Species of gastropod

The black nudibranch is a species of colorful sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusk in the family Polyceridae. This species is endemic to South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghost nudibranch</span> Species of gastropod

The ghost nudibranch, Lecithophorus capensis, is a species of dorid nudibranch, and is only found in South Africa. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Polyceridae. It is the sole species of the genus Lecithophorus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antiopella capensis</span> Species of gastropod

Antiopella capensis, originally described as Janolus capensis, the Cape silvertip nudibranch, is a beautiful species of nudibranch, or sea slug. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Proctonotidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antiopella longidentata</span> Species of gastropod

Antiopella longidentata, previously named Janolus longidentatus, the medallion silvertip nudibranch, is a species of nudibranch, or sea slug. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Proctonotidae.

<i>Polycera aurantiomarginata</i> Species of gastropod

Polycera aurantiomarginata is a species of sea slug, a nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Polyceridae.

Polycera tricolor, commonly known as the three-color polycera, is a species of sea slug, a nudibranch, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusc in the family Polyceridae. It occurs in the Pacific Northwest, ranging from southern Alaska southward to northern Mexico, at depths down to about 60 m (200 ft).

Polycera norvegica, is a sea slug, a species of dorid nudibranch. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Polyceridae.

References

  1. Gosliner, T.M. (1987). Nudibranchs of Southern Africa ISBN   0-930118-13-8
  2. Rudman, W.B., 1998 (October 8) Polycera capensis Quoy & Gaimard, 1824. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.
  3. Zsilavecz, G. (2007). Nudibranchs of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay. ISBN   0-620-38054-3
  4. Palomar, G.; Pola, M.; Garcia-Vazquez, E. (2013). First molecular phylogeny of the subfamily Polycerinae (Mollusca, Nudibranchia, Polyceridae). Helgoland Marine Research. 68(1): 143-153.