''Pauleo jubatus'' is a
species of
sea slug, specifically an
aeolid nudibranch. It is a
marine
Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean.
Marine or marines may refer to:
Ocean
* Maritime (disambiguation)
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* ...
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 Facelinidae
The Facelinidae are a Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic family (biology), family of colorful sea slugs. These are specifically aeolid nudibranchs. They are marine (ocean), marine gastropod molluscs.Bouchet, P. (2012). Facelinidae. Accessed through: W ...
. It is the only species in the genus ''Pauleo''.
Distribution
The
holotype of this species was found at
Taino Beach,
Grand Bahama
Grand Bahama is the northernmost of the islands of the Bahamas, with the town of West End located east of Palm Beach, Florida. It is the third largest island in the Bahamas island chain of approximately 700 islands and 2,400 cays. The island is ...
,
Bahamas, . Additional localities mentioned in the description include Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, Jamaica, Eleuthera, Belize and Honduras.
Ecology
This species feeds on the gorgonian coral ''
Plexaurella dichotoma
''Plexaurella'' is a genus of gorgonian-type octocorals in the family Plexauridae. Species of the genus are typically characterised by their slit-pores, however, there are some which lack this distinguishing feature (e.g. ''P. grisea'').Bayer, FM ...
''. Feeding on soft corals instead of hydroids is typical of the genus ''
Phyllodesmium
''Phyllodesmium'' is a genus of predatory sea slugs, aeolid nudibranchs, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Facelinidae.Bouchet, P. (2012). ''Phyllodesmium'' Ehrenberg, 1831. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www ...
'' but in ''Phyllodesmium'' there are no functional
cnidosacs, possibly because the
cnidae of soft corals are not useful in defence of the nudibranchs. ''Pauleo'' differs from ''Phyllodesmium'' in having functional cnidosacs.
[Rudman, W.B., 1999 (August 24]
''Pauleo jubatus'' Millen & Hamann, 1992.
n/nowiki> Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3898195
Facelinidae
Gastropods described in 1992