''Favorinus tsuruganus'' 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 ...

of 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

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 ...

mollusk 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 e ...

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 ...

Facelinidae The Facelinidae are a Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic family (biology), family of colorful sea slugs. These are specifically aeolid nudibranchs. They are marine (ocean), marine gastropod molluscs.Bouchet, P. (2012). Facelinidae. Accessed through: W ...

Description

''Favorinus tsuruganus'' grows to a maximum length of 25 mm. The back and oral tentacles are opaque white and there is a yellow patch on the front of the head. The rhinophores are black, and swell in a collar-like shape in three places. The cerata have black tips with the digestive gland duct being orange, a distinguishing feature of this species.

Distribution

This species occurs in Japan, more rarely in eastern Australia down to around Sydney, and has a wide western Pacific distribution.

Diet and behaviour

''Favorinus tsuruganus'' feeds on the eggs of a wide range of other

opisthobranch Opisthobranchs () is now an informal name for a large and diverse group of specialized complex gastropods which used to be united in the subclass Opisthobranchia. That taxon is no longer considered to represent a monophyletic grouping. Euopisth ...

s, in particular,

Hexabranchus Hexabranchidae is a monotypic family of colorful nudibranchs (often called "sea slugs") which contains only a single genus ''Hexabranchus'', with two species, and has no subfamilies. This family is one of the many families of dorid nudibranchs ...

References

External links

Images
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q5438604 Facelinidae Gastropods described in 1964