Ceratosoma brevicaudatum

Ceratosoma brevicaudatum, the short-tailed ceratosoma, is a species of colourful dorid nudibranch, a sea slug, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusk in the family Chromodorididae.

Short-tailed ceratosoma
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Order:	Nudibranchia
Family:	Chromodorididae
Genus:	Ceratosoma
Species:	C. brevicaudatum
Binomial name
Ceratosoma brevicaudatum Abraham, 1876[1]

Distribution

Houtman Abrolhos, Western Australia, across South Australia and Victoria to Cape Byron, New South Wales, and around Tasmania.^[2]

Description

This firm-bodied species grows to a maximum recorded length of 15 centimetres. Within South Australian waters, dark coloured individuals are more common in the west and paler colours more so in the east. An orange form is considered typical in SA.^[3][4]

Ecology

The species feeds on Euryspongia spp. sponges.^[3]

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  Ceratosoma brevicaudatum
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  Yellow variation of Ceratosoma brevicaudatum at Fly Point, Port Stephens, New South Wales
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  Ceratosoma brevicaudatum
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  Ceratosoma brevicaudatum