''Flabellina affinis'' 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 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

Flabellinidae Flabellinidae is a taxonomic family of brightly coloured sea slugs, specifically nudibranchs, marine gastropod mollusk Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known a ...

Distribution

This species is found in depths to 50 m in European waters in the Atlantic Ocean from Portugal to

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

and the Canaries and is widespread in the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

.Rudman, W.B., 1999 (July 6
''Flabellina affinis'' (Gmelin, 1791).
n/nowiki> Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.

Description

The species can grow to a length of 50 mm. It feeds primarily on species of ''

Eudendrium ''Eudendrium'' is a large genus of hydroids (Hydrozoa), one of two in the family Eudendriidae. These animals are marine cnidarias in the family Eudendriidae. Species Species so far described in this genus include:Paraflabellina ischitana ''Paraflabellina ischitana'' is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Flabellinidae. Etymology The name ''ischitana'' means from Ischia, the island from where this nudibranch was first named. ...

'', but can be distinguished as follows: *''Flabellina affinis'': the outer part of the digestive gland in each ceras is not visible as the area beneath the subapical white ring is opaque violet in colour. *''Paraflabellina ischitana'': the ceratal surface has no purple-violet colouration and is translucent.

References

External links

* * Photo study of th
Flabellina affinis
{{Taxonbar, from=Q286819 Flabellinidae Gastropods described in 1791 Taxa named by Johann Friedrich Gmelin Molluscs of the Atlantic Ocean Molluscs of the Mediterranean Sea Molluscs of the Canary Islands Invertebrates of West Africa Molluscs of Europe