''Hypselodoris infucata'' 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 colourful

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 ...

or dorid

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 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 ...

Chromodorididae Chromodorididae, or chromodorids, are a taxonomic family of colourful, sea slugs; dorid nudibranchs, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Doridoidea. “Chromodorid nudibranchs are among the most gorgeously coloured of all animals.” ...

. This species eats sponges.

Distribution

This nudibranch was described from the Red Sea. It is found from the Red Sea and western Indian Ocean eastwards as far as the Hawaiian islands, throughout the tropical Indo-West Pacific. The species now also occurs in the

Mediterranean 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 e ...

, having invaded as a

Lessepsian migrant The Lessepsian migration (also called Erythrean invasion) is the migration of marine species across the Suez Canal, usually from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and more rarely in the opposite direction. When the canal was completed in 18 ...

through the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popular ...

Description

''Hypselodoris infucata'' has a translucent white body pigmented on the surface with blotches of grey-blue, large yellow spots and small black spots. The gills are white with a single line of red pigment on the outer surfaces. The rhinophores are opaque white, with red edges to the lamellae and a red line at the front of the club. This species can reach a total length of at least 50 mm. It is distinguished from the similar species '' Hypselodoris kanga'', '' Hypselodoris roo'' and '' Hypselodoris confetti'' most easily by the fact that they all have gills which have an outer face which has two edges, forming a triangle.Gosliner, T.M., Behrens, D.W. & Valdés, Á., 2018. ''Nudibranch and Sea Slug Identification – Indo-Pacific.'' New World Publications; 2nd Revised, Updated edition. 452 pp. , , p. 190

Notes

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q762386 Chromodorididae Molluscs of the Indian Ocean Molluscs of the Pacific Ocean Molluscs of the Mediterranean Sea Gastropods described in 1831 Taxa named by Rudolf Leuckart Taxa named by Eduard Rüppell