''Hypselodoris saintvincentius'' 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 ...

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.” ...

Distribution

This nudibranch is known only from Southern and Southwestern Australia. This species was described from the intertidal zone at Coobowie, west coast of St Vincent Gulf,

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. It is related to the widespread tropical species '' Hypselodoris infucata'' and the similar Australian species '' Hypselodoris obscura''. It has been reported from depths to 12 m and from

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

.Rudman, W.B., 1998 (November 28
''Hypselodoris saintvincentius'' (Burn, 1962).
n/nowiki> Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.

Description

''Hypselodoris saintvincentius'' has a dark blue-black body which is covered in hundreds of small black and white spots. There is typically a creamy-white irregular, lined pattern present on its dorsum. The

gills A gill () is a respiratory organ that many aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they are ...

and

rhinophores A rhinophore is one of a pair of chemosensory club-shaped, rod-shaped or ear-like structures which are the most prominent part of the external head anatomy in sea slugs, marine gastropod opisthobranch mollusks such as the nudibranchs, sea hares ...

are orange, sometimes outlined in white. This species can reach a total length of at least 40 mm and has been observed feeding on sponges from the genus ''

Dysidea ''Dysidea'' is a genus of sponges belonging to the family Dysideidae. The genus has cosmopolitan distribution. Species: *'' Dysidea aedificanda'' *'' Dysidea amblia'' *'' Dysidea anceps'' *'' Dysidea arenaria'' *'' Dysidea avara'' *'' D ...

''.

References

* Johnson, R. F. and Valdés, A. (2001) ''The Hypselodoris infucata, H. obscura and H. saintvincentius species complex (Mollusca, Nudibranchia, Chromodorididae), with remarks on the genus Brachyclanis Ehrenberg, 1831.'' Journal of Natural History 35: 1371-1398.

External links

''Hypselodoris saintvincentius'' page at nudipixel
Chromodorididae Gastropods described in 1962 {{Chromodorididae-stub