Tenellia phoenix

Tenellia phoenix is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Fionidae.^[2]

Tenellia phoenix from Santa Cruz, California

Tenellia phoenix
Santa Cruz, California, USA
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Order:	Nudibranchia
Suborder:	Cladobranchia
Superfamily:	Fionoidea
Family:	Trinchesiidae
Genus:	Tenellia
Species:	T. phoenix
Binomial name
Tenellia phoenix (Gosliner, 1981)[1]
Synonyms
Cuthona phoenix Gosliner, 1981

Distribution

This species was described from La Jolla, California, United States. It has been reported from Monterey Bay to Mission Bay (San Diego), California^[3] and Costa Rica.^[4]

Description

Tenellia phoenix is a small translucent aeolid with swollen cerata and a visible central line of digestive gland which shows through the skin. It is reminiscent of Tergipes tergipes or Eubranchus rupium but intermediate between these species in the number and arrangement of its cerata. The oral tentacles and rhinophores are suffused with brown pigment.^[5]