''Berthella ornata'' is a
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of
sea slug
Sea slug is a common name for some Marine biology, marine invertebrates with varying levels of resemblance to terrestrial Slug, slugs. Most creatures known as sea slugs are gastropods, i.e. they are Sea snail, sea snails (marine gastropod moll ...
, a
marine gastropod
Gastropods (), commonly known as slugs and snails, belong to a large Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda ().
This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, freshwater, and fro ...
mollusk
Mollusca is a phylum of protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum after Arthropoda. The ...
in the family
Pleurobranchidae
The Pleurobranchidae are a Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic family (biology), family of sea slugs, marine (ocean), marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Pleurobranchomorpha.
Characteristics
Species in the family Pleurobranchidae have a promine ...
.
It is sometimes called the ornate side-gilled sea slug.
Description
This is a distinctive pleurobranch up to in length, the dorsal surface bearing reddish or brownish spots overlaying an opaque background that can vary from white to dark red or brown. A shell up to is hidden under the smooth mantle, which is white at the margin, the foot and gill are also white. The rhinophores are brown with white tips.
''B. ornata'' is slow moving and feeds on sponges at night, often emitting a milky fluid if disturbed. It is usually found hiding under boulders and stones during the day, with the head and rhinophores retracted under the mantle.
[Cook, Steve De C., “New Zealand Coastal Marine Invertebrates Vol 1”, Canterbury University Press, NZ 2010, ISBN 978-1877257-60-5]
Distribution
Endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
, where it is becoming less common. It is found at low tide through the sub-littoral fringe down to 6 metres deep.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q4895555
Pleurobranchidae
Molluscs of the Pacific Ocean
Gastropods of New Zealand
Endemic fauna of New Zealand
Gastropods described in 1878
Taxa named by Thomas Frederic Cheeseman
Endemic molluscs of New Zealand