''Cerberilla affinis'' 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), ...

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 ...

, an aeolid

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 ...

, a marine

heterobranch Heterobranchia, the heterobranchs (meaning "different gill"), is a taxonomic clade of snails and slugs, which includes marine, aquatic, and terrestrial gastropod molluscs. Heterobranchia is one of the main clades of gastropods. Currently Hetero ...

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 ...

Aeolidiidae Aeolidiidae, a family of aeolid nudibranchs, are a family of sea slugs, shell-less marine gastropod mollusc Mollusca is a phylum of protostome, protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around ...

.Bouchet, P. (2015)
''Cerberilla affinis''.
In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2015-11-09 It was described as a variety by Bergh, 1888 but elevated to species status by Burn, 1966.Burn R (1966) ''Descriptions of Australian Eolidacea (Mollusca: Opisthobranchia) 4. The genera ''Pleurolidia'', ''Fiona'', ''Learchis'' and ''Cerberilla'' from Lord Howe Island.'' J Malac Soc of Aust 10: 21–34.

Distribution

This species was described from

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. It has been reported from localities in the

Central Indo-Pacific The Central Indo-Pacific is a biogeographic region of Earth's seas, comprising the tropical waters of the western Pacific Ocean, the eastern Indian Ocean, and the connecting seas. The Central Indo-Pacific is a part of the larger Indo-Pacific, w ...

region to Lord Howe Island, the eastern Australian mainland and New Caledonia and is probably widespread in the West Pacific.Rudman, W.B., 1999 (November 25
''Cerberilla affinis'' Bergh, 1888.
n/nowiki> Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.

Description

All ''Cerberilla'' species have a broad foot and the cerata are long and numerous, arranged in transverse rows across the body. In this species the long oral tentacles have bands of dark blue and there is a narrow band of black on each of the

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 ...

. Two species from the Indian Ocean, '' Cerberilla africana'' Eliot, 1903 (East Africa) and ''

Cerberilla moebii ''Cerberilla moebii'' is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch, a marine heterobranch mollusc in the family Aeolidiidae.Gofas, S., Bouchet, P. (2015)''Cerberilla moebii''.In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine ...

'' (Bergh, 1888) -

Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...

are similar in colour.

Ecology

Species of ''Cerberilla'' live on and in sandy substrates where they burrow beneath the surface and feed on burrowing sea anemones.

References

* Marshall, J.G. & Willan, R.C. 1999. ''Nudibranchs of Heron Island, Great Barrier Reef.'' Leiden : Backhuys 257 pp. {{Taxonbar, from=Q13459851 Aeolidiidae Gastropods described in 1888