''Okenia eolida'' 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 ...

, specifically a

dorid ''Doridacea'' is a taxonomic grouping of dorid nudibranchs, shell-less marine gastropod mollusks.Bouchet P. & Rocroi J.-P. (Ed.); Frýda J., Hausdorf B., Ponder W., Valdes A. & Warén A. 2005''Classification and nomenclator of gastropod families ...

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 ...

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 Goniodorididae.Bouchet, P. (2015)
''Okenia eolida'' (Quoy & Gaimard, 1832).
In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2015-10-20

Distribution

This species was described from the

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phil ...

. It has been found in many places in the western Pacific Ocean including Japan, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia and the Philippines.Rudman, W.B., 2004 (December 21
''Okenia plana'' Baba, 1960.
n/nowiki> Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.

Description

This ''Okenia'' has a broad body and five elongate lateral papillae on each side of the mantle. The colour is translucent white covered with brown patches which almost touch, leaving a pattern of lines between them.

Ecology

The diet of this species is probably the bryozoans '' Membranipora membranacea'', '' Cryptosula pallasiana'' and ''

Jellyella tuberculata ''Jellyella'' is a genus of bryozoans in the family Membraniporidae. Etymology The genus is named in honour of the Eliza Catherine Jelly (1829–1914), of Cornwall, England in honour of her contributions to the study of bryozoans. Morphology ' ...

''.

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q13915046 Goniodorididae Gastropods described in 1832