''Piseinotecus kima'' 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 ...

, an aeolid

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

Piseinotecidae Piseinotecidae is a taxonomic family of sea slugs, specifically aeolid nudibranchs, marine gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Aeolidioidea.Bouchet, P. (2014). Piseinotecidae Edmunds, 1970. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at ...

Distribution

This nudibranch was described from Oysterbay,

Dar es Salaam Dar es Salaam (; from ar, دَار السَّلَام, Dâr es-Selâm, lit=Abode of Peace) or commonly known as Dar, is the largest city and financial hub of Tanzania. It is also the capital of Dar es Salaam Region. With a population of over s ...

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

Description

This piseinotecid nudibranch is translucent white in colour and reached 5 mm in length but probably grows larger as the only known animal was not fully mature. The entire body and the lower part of the rhinophores are covered with scattered orange-yellow and smaller white spots. The

rhinophore 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 har ...

s and oral tentacles have white spots near the base, followed by a pale green band, then a broad white band and clear tips. The

digestive gland The hepatopancreas, digestive gland or midgut gland is an organ of the digestive tract of arthropods and molluscs. It provides the functions which in mammals are provided separately by the liver and pancreas, including the production of digestive e ...

in the

cerata :''The tortrix moth genus ''Cerata'' is considered a junior synonym of ''Cydia. Cerata, singular ceras, are anatomical structures found externally in nudibranch sea slugs, especially in aeolid nudibranchs, marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusks ...

is pale brown and there are white and small red-brown spots on the surfaces of the cerata. The cerata are slightly tuberculate as in some species of

Eubranchus ''Eubranchus'' is a genus of aeolid nudibranch in the family Eubranchidae. The name ''Eubranchus'' has been placed on the Official List by ICZN Opinion 774.ICZN. (1966''Opinion 774. Eubranchus Forbes, 1838 added to the Official List with suppres ...

Ecology

''Piseinotecus kima'' feeds on

hydroids Hydroids are a life stage for most animals of the class Hydrozoa, small predators related to jellyfish. Some hydroids such as the freshwater '' Hydra'' are solitary, with the polyp attached directly to the substrate. When these produce buds ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q20720314 Piseinotecidae Gastropods described in 1970