''Flabellinopsis iodinea'', the Spanish shawl, is a
species of aeolid
nudibranch, a very colorful
sea slug. This 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)
* Marine art
* Marine biology
* Marine debris
* Marine habitats
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* Marine pollution
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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 ...
mollusk in the
family Flabellinidae.
Distribution
This species is native to the west coast of
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
and farther south. It has been reported as far north as
British Columbia,
Canada, and as far south as
Punta Asunción,
Baja California Sur
Baja California Sur (; 'South Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California Sur ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California Sur), is the least populated state and the 31st admitted state of the 32 federal ent ...
,
Mexico. In addition it is found in the
Gulf of California and the
Galapagos Islands.
It has been found off the coast of
Santa Catalina Island, California
Santa Catalina Island ( xgf, Pimuu'nga or ; es, Isla Santa Catalina) is a rocky island off the coast of Southern California in the Gulf of Santa Catalina. The island name is often shortened to Catalina Island or just Catalina. The island is l ...
.
It has also been found off the coast of the Palos Verdes Peninsula and San Diego, California .
Description
This nudibranch displays a stunning set of colors: the body is purple, the cerata are orange and the
rhinophores are scarlet. The neon orange appendages on the back of ''Flabellinopsis iodinea'' are the cerata which extract oxygen from the sea water they are surrounded by and live in. The cerata are also extensions of the digestive system, and are used to store the stinging cells of the anemones and fan-like hydroids they eat. The red rhinophores are sensory structures used for detecting the presence of possible mates and prey. The purple, red, and orange colors are derived from a single carotenoid pigment,
astaxanthin. The pigment appears in three modified states, leading to the three distinct colors.
Scientists think the reason why the Spanish Shawl's gills are orange is so they can camouflage with their prey while they are eating. The orange gills on their backs are also a warning to potential predators. The color tells their predators that they are either poisonous or distasteful.
Life habits
Spanish shawls are
hermaphrodite
In reproductive biology, a hermaphrodite () is an organism that has both kinds of reproductive organs and can produce both gametes associated with male and female sexes.
Many Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic groups of animals (mostly invertebrate ...
s, which means they have both male and female reproductive organs. However, self-fertilisation very rarely occurs. When threatened by other predators, they can gracefully move away by flexing their body strongly and pushing off from the substrate and into midwater.
Gallery
File:Spanish Shawl nudibranch.jpg, Spanish Shawl near Los Osos, California
File:Spanish shawl2.JPG, Spanish shawl in La Jolla, California
File:Flabellina-iodinea-mating.jpg, Spanish shawls mating in Malibu, California
File:Spanish Shawl nudibranch, Channel Islands, California.jpg, A Spanish shawl nudibranch in the Channel Islands of California.
References
External links
*
{{Use dmy dates, date=May 2017
Flabellinidae
Western North American coastal fauna
Marine fauna of the Gulf of California
Galápagos Islands coastal fauna
Gastropods described in 1863
Taxa named by James Graham Cooper