''Atagema alba'', common name the hunchback doris, 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 ...
of
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 time ...
or dorid
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 match, ...
, a
marine gastropod 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
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Discodorididae
Discodorididae is a taxonomic family of sea slugs, specifically dorid nudibranchs, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Doridoidea.Bouchet, P. (2011). Discodorididae. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.mari ...
.
[Bouchet, P. (2015)]
''Atagema alba'' (O'Donoghue, 1927).
In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2016-10-24.[Bertsch H. & Gosliner T.M. (1986]
''Anatomy, distribution, synonymy, and systematic relationships of ''Atagema alba'' (O'Donoghue, 1927) (Nudibranchia: Doridacea)''.
The Veliger 29(1): 123-128.
Distribution
This species has been reported from Monterey Bay, California, USA south to Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.
[Behrens, D. (2005)]
The Slug Site.
Description
Ecology
This dorid nudibranch feeds on sponges.
References
Discodorididae
Gastropods described in 1927
{{Discodorididae-stub