Hopkin's rose nudibranch is a species of sea slug, specifically a dorid 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 ...

.Rosenberg, G. (2012). Okenia rosacea. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=599485 on 2012-06-06 Previously known as ''Okenia rosacea'', this species was reclassified as ''Ceratodoris rosacea'' in 2024.

Distribution

This species was described from Monterey Bay, California. It can be found along the coast of western North America from Oregon to Baja California.Rudman, W.B., 2004 (December 21) ''Okenia rosacea'' (Macfarland, 1905). [In
/nowiki> Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.">n">Rudman, W.B., 2004 (December 21) ''Okenia rosacea'' (Macfarland, 1905). [In
/nowiki> Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney./ref>

Description

These pink sea slugs are characterized by numerous long papillae on their back, tapering into a round tip. These papillae are sometimes more or less white at their tips. This pink color is produced by the xanthophyllic pigment hopkinsiaxanthin, most likely obtained through feeding on the Cheilostomata, cheilostomatous bryozoan, ''Integripelta bilabiata''.McBeth J. W. (1971). "Studies on the food of nudibranchs". ''The Veliger'' 14: 158-161. The mantle, foot and the head are merged into one entity with a flattened profile. The oral tentacles are lacking. The 20 gills are situated around the anal papillae and are somewhat shorter. The shape of the taenioglossan

radula The radula (, ; plural radulae or radulas) is an anatomical structure used by molluscs for feeding, sometimes compared to a tongue. It is a minutely toothed, chitinous ribbon, which is typically used for scraping or cutting food before the food ...

is unique in this family, as the middle tooth is large and elongate, ending in a hook-like tip. The lateral teeth are small and are actually reduced to a rudimentary plate.

References

* Bertsch H. (1989). "Life history of the intertidal Californian nudibranch ''Hopkinsia rosacea'' MacFarland, 1905. Western Society of Malacologists, Annual Report, 21:19-20. * Gordon D. P., Mawatari S. F. & Kajihara H. (2002). "New taxa of Japanese and New Zealand Eurystomellidae (Phylum Bryozoa) and their phylogenetic relationships". ''Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society'' 136: 199-216. * Rudman W. B. (2004). "Further species of the opisthobranch genus ''Okenia'' (Nudibranchia: Goniodorididae) from the Indo-West Pacific". '' Zootaxa'' 695: 1-70. * Strain H. H. (1949). "Hopkinsiaxanthin, a xanthophyll of the sea slug ''Hopkinsia rosacea''". ''Biological Bulletin'' 97(1):206-209. * Turgeon, D.; Quinn, J.F.; Bogan, A.E.; Coan, E.V.; Hochberg, F.G.; Lyons, W.G.; Mikkelsen, P.M.; Neves, R.J.; Roper, C.F.E.; Rosenberg, G.; Roth, B.; Scheltema, A.; Thompson, F.G.; Vecchione, M.; Williams, J.D. (1998). ''Common and scientific names of aquatic invertebrates from the United States and Canada: mollusks.'' 2nd ed. American Fisheries Society Special Publication, 26. American Fisheries Society: Bethesda, MD (USA). . IX, 526 + cd-rom page: 125 {{Taxonbar, from=Q3881377 Goniodorididae Gastropods described in 1905

Distribution

Description

References

Further reading