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Hexabranchus morsomus
Species of gastropod From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Hexabranchus morsomus, also known as the Caribbean Spanish Dancer,[3] is a species of sea slug, a marine mollusc in the family Hexabranchidae.[4][2]
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Distribution
It occurs in the Caribbean Sea including waters around St. Kitts and the Netherlands Antilles,[5] and has also been identified in Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica, Venezuela, St. Lucia, Martinique, Antigua, Grenada, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago,[3] Aruba, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Sint Maarten.[6]
Description
Body is oval to elongate.[6] Dorsum is small with conical tubercles.[6] Rhinophores are club shaped.[6] Gill is large, composed of several multi-pinnated leaves.[6] Background color is reddish with mottled white and yellow patches on the dorsum.[6] Mantle margin usually curled up over small portion of dorsum covering white areas.[6] It is up to 400 mm long.[6]
Ecology
It is found under rocks or coral rubble, primarily on living reefs.[6] Minimum recorded depth is 0 m.[7] Maximum recorded depth is 33 m.[7] Defensive behavior consists of the unrolling of the mantle margins to expose bright white areas followed by swimming by contracting the body and mantle margin.[6] Species of the genus Hexabranchus prey on a variety of sponges.[6]
Further reading
- Valdés Á. (2002) "How many species of Hexabranchus (Opisthobranchia : Dorididae) are there?" Molluscan Research 22(3): 289-301. PDF.
References
External links
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