''Okenia nakamotoensis'' is a species of sea slug, 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, 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 Goniodorididae are a taxonomic family of sea slugs, specifically dorid nudibranchs, marine gastropod molluscs in the order Opisthobranchia. Genera Genera in the family Goniodorididae include: * '' Ancula'' Lovén, 1846 * ''Goniodoris ''Goniod ...

Distribution

This species was described from

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. It is known from Bohol and Cebu Islands, Philippines, Indonesia and the Marshall Islands. It has also been reported from

Mabul Mabul ( ms, Pulau Mabul) is a small island off the southeastern coast of Sabah in Malaysia. The island has been a fishing village since the 1970s. After the 1990s, Mabul gained popularity with scuba divers due to its proximity to Sipadan is ...

, Malaysia and Mayotte, Indian Ocean.Rudman, W.B., 2004 (December 21) ''Okenia nakamotoensis'' (Hamatani, 2001). [In
/nowiki> Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.">n">Rudman, W.B., 2004 (December 21) ''Okenia nakamotoensis'' (Hamatani, 2001). [In
/nowiki> Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney./ref>

Description

This ''Okenia'' has a narrow, almost cylindrical, body and long lateral papillae. There is one mid-dorsal papilla in front of the gills. The body is bright pink and just the bases of the mantle processes are white. In animals from the Philippines and the Marshall Islands the white pigment extends onto the body as a broken line joining the bases of the papillae and as spots and streaks.

Ecology

The diet of this species is the bryozoan ''Tropidozoum cellariforme'' Harmer, 1957. This sea slug is very similar to ''Okenia kondoi'' and can be found with that species on the same food. There are two other species from northern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, which are also similar to this species, and those are '' Okenia stellata'' and ''

Okenia hallucigenia ''Okenia hallucigenia'' is a species of sea slug, specifically a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Goniodorididae.Bouchet, P. (2015)''Okenia hallucigenia'' Rudman, 2004.In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World ...

''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3881365 Goniodorididae Gastropods described in 2001