The gasflame nudibranch (''Bonisa nakaza'') is a very colourful

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

nudibranch Nudibranchs () are a group of soft-bodied marine gastropod molluscs which 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 matc ...

, or

sea slug 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 (marine gastropod mollusks) that over evolutionary t ...

. It is a

marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

gastropod The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. T ...

mollusc Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is esti ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Proctonotidae Proctonotidae is a family of sea slugs, nudibranchs, marine gastropod molluscs, in the clade Euthyneura Euthyneura is a taxonomic infraclass of snails and slugs, which includes species exclusively from marine, aquatic and terrestrial gastro ...

.Bouchet, P. (2012). ''Bonisa nakaza''. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=225533 on 2012-06-03 ''Bonisa nakaza'' is the only species in the genus ''Bonisa''.

Distribution

This species is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the South African coast and is found only from the Atlantic coast of the

Cape Peninsula The Cape Peninsula ( af, Kaapse Skiereiland) is a generally mountainous peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean at the south-western extremity of the African continent. At the southern end of the peninsula are Cape Point and the Cape of ...

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Sou ...

, from the intertidal border to at least 30 m.

Description

The gasflame nudibranch is a large nudibranch densely covered with

cerata :''The tortrix moth genus ''Cerata'' is considered a junior synonym of ''Cydia. Cerata, singular ceras, are anatomical structures found externally in nudibranch sea slugs, especially in aeolid nudibranchs, marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusks ...

. It is usually between 50 and 80 mm in length, but may reach 120 mm. It has highly variable coloration and may be pale-bodied with orange ceratal tips, yellow-bodied with blue ceratal tips, salmon-coloured with brown tips or even black with blue ceratal tips. Its

rhinophores A rhinophore is one of a pair of chemosensory club-shaped, rod-shaped or ear-like structures which are the most prominent part of the external head anatomy in sea slugs, marine gastropod opisthobranch mollusks such as the nudibranchs, sea hares ...

are perfoliate and vary in coloration with rest of animal, separated by a rhinophoral crest of unknown function. gasflame rhinophores.jpg, Rhinophores and rhinophoral crest Gas flame eggs.jpg, Egg ribbon

Ecology

This species of nudibranch feeds on

bryozoa Bryozoa (also known as the Polyzoa, Ectoprocta or commonly as moss animals) are a phylum of simple, aquatic invertebrate animals, nearly all living in sedentary colonies. Typically about long, they have a special feeding structure called a l ...

ns. The egg mass is globular, highly convoluted and usually attached to branched organisms, such as gorgonian sea fans. It is usually cream coloured, but may be pinkish.Zsilavecz, G. (2007). ''Nudibranchs of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay''.

References

External links

"''Bonisa nakaza''"

www.seaslugforum.net
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3018767 Proctonotidae Gastropods described in 1981