''Antiopella capensis'', originally described as ''Janolus capensis'', the Cape silvertip nudibranch, is a beautiful
species of
nudibranch, or
sea slug. 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 Proctonotidae.
Apart from striking differences in the egg ribbons, individuals of this species are externally not distinguishable from the
medallion silvertip nudibranch
''Janolus longidentatus'', the medallion silvertip nudibranch, is a spectacular-looking species of nudibranch, or sea slug. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Proctonotidae.
Apart from striking differences in the egg ribbons, in ...
, ''
Antiopella longidentata''.
Distribution
This species is
endemic to the
South African __NOTOC__
South African may relate to:
* The nation of South Africa
* South African Airways
* South African English
* South African people
* Languages of South Africa
* Southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the Afric ...
coast and is found only from Saldanha Bay to East London, from the intertidal border to at least 40 m.
Description
The Cape silvertip nudibranch grows up to 40 mm in total length. It is a pale-bodied nudibranch with dark- to tan-coloured
cerata with white tips. Its
rhinophores are white and rolled. They are separated from one another by an opaque white spherical mass of unknown function known as the rhinophoral crest.
Ecology
This species of nudibranch feeds on moss animals,
bryozoans such as ''
Menipea triseriata'' and ''
Onchoporella buskii''. The egg mass is globular, convoluted and has numerous eggs per capsule.
[Zsilavecz, G. 2007. ''Nudibranchs of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay''. ] The egg ribbon of the medallion silvertip is diagnostic for the species: a flat spiral of capsules with only 5-7 eggs per capsule.
References
External links
* http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/janocape
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5035206
Proctonotidae
Gastropods described in 1907