''Cuthona divae'' (rose-pink cuthona) is a

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 ...

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 ...

, an aeolid

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 ...

, a marine

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 ...

Tergipedidae.

Distribution

This species was described from

Dillon Beach, California Dillon Beach is a census-designated place (CDP) in Marin County, California, United States. It is located west of Tomales, at an elevation of . The population was 246 at the 2020 census. Dillon Beach was named after the founder, George Dillon, who ...

, United States. It has subsequently been reported from the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

coast of North America from

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Canada, to

Point Loma Point Loma (Spanish: ''Punta de la Loma'', meaning "Hill Point"; Kumeyaay: ''Amat Kunyily'', meaning "Black Earth") is a seaside community within the city of San Diego, California. Geographically it is a hilly peninsula that is bordered on the w ...

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

, California.

Ecology

''Cuthona divae'' is reported to feed on the hydroids ''

Hydractinia ''Hydractinia'' is a genus of commensal athecate hydroids which belong to the family Hydractiniidae. ''Hydractinia'' species mostly live on hermit-crabbed marine gastropod shells. One species, '' Hydractinia echinata'', is commonly known as s ...

'' and '' Clavactinia milleri'', family

Hydractiniidae Hydractiniidae is a cnidarian family of athecate hydroids. Genera The World Register of Marine Species includes the following genera in the family: *'' Bouillonactinia'' Miglietta, McNally & Cunningham, 2010 *'' Clava'' Gmelin, 1788 *'' Clavact ...

.Rudman, W.B., (2001 February 4
''Cuthona divae'' (Marcus, 1961).
nowiki> n/nowiki> Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3788919 Tergipedidae Gastropods described in 1961