The gasflame nudibranch (''Bonisa nakaza'') is a very colourful

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), ...

nudibranch Nudibranchs () are a group of soft-bodied marine gastropod molluscs, belonging to the order Nudibranchia, that shed their shells after their larval stage. They are noted for their often extraordinary colours and striking forms, and they have b ...

, or

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 ...

. It is 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 ...

mollusc Mollusca is a phylum of protostome, protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant taxon, extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum ...

in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Proctonotidae Proctonotidae is a family of sea slugs, nudibranchs, marine gastropod molluscs, in the clade Euthyneura Euthyneura is a taxonomic infraclass of snails and slugs, which includes species exclusively from marine, aquatic and terrestrial g ...

.Bouchet, P. (2012). ''Bonisa nakaza''. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=225533 on 2012-06-03 ''Bonisa nakaza'' is the only species in the genus ''Bonisa''.

Distribution

This species is

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 the South African coast and is found only from the Atlantic coast of the

Cape Peninsula The Cape Peninsula () of South Africa is a generally mountainous peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean at the south-western extremity of the African continent. At the southern end of the peninsula are Cape Point and the Cape of Good ...

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha ( , ), formerly named Port Elizabeth, and colloquially referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipal ...

, from the intertidal border to at least 30 m.

Description

The gasflame nudibranch is a large nudibranch densely covered with

cerata :''The tortrix moth genus ''Cerata'' is considered a junior synonym of ''Cydia (genus), Cydia. Cerata, singular ceras, are anatomical structures found externally in nudibranch sea slugs, especially in aeolid nudibranchs, marine animal, marine opi ...

. It is usually between 50 and 80 mm in length, but may reach 120 mm. It has highly variable coloration and may be pale-bodied with orange ceratal tips, yellow-bodied with blue ceratal tips, salmon-coloured with brown tips or even black with blue ceratal tips. Its

rhinophores A rhinophore is one of a pair of chemosensory club-shaped, rod-shaped or ear-like structures which are the most prominent part of the external head anatomy in sea slugs, marine gastropod opisthobranch mollusks such as the nudibranchs, sea hare ...

are perfoliate and vary in coloration with rest of animal, separated by a rhinophoral crest of unknown function. gasflame rhinophores.jpg, Rhinophores and rhinophoral crest Gas flame eggs.jpg, Egg ribbon

Ecology

This species of nudibranch feeds on

bryozoa Bryozoa (also known as the Polyzoa, Ectoprocta or commonly as moss animals) are a phylum of simple, aquatic animal, aquatic invertebrate animals, nearly all living in sedentary Colony (biology), colonies. Typically about long, they have a spe ...

ns. The egg mass is globular, highly convoluted and usually attached to branched organisms, such as gorgonian sea fans. It is usually cream coloured, but may be pinkish.Zsilavecz, G. (2007). ''Nudibranchs of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay''.

References

External links

"''Bonisa nakaza''"

www.seaslugforum.net
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3018767 Proctonotidae Gastropods described in 1981