''Chromodoris annae'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), 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 ...

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 ...

, a very colourful

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 mat ...

, a shell-less

marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

gastropod mollusc in the family

Chromodorididae Chromodorididae, or chromodorids, are a taxonomic family of colourful, sea slugs; dorid nudibranchs, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Doridoidea. “Chromodorid nudibranchs are among the most gorgeously coloured of all animals. ...

Distribution

This species of nudibranch is found in the central area of the

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

region from

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

and the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

to the

Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands ( mh, Ṃajeḷ), officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( mh, Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ),'' () is an independent island country and microstate near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the Internati ...

Description

''Chromodoris annae'' can reach a maximum size of 5 cm length. The body is elongate with a foot which is distinct from the upper body by a skirt like mantle hiding partially the foot. The branched gills and the

rhinophore 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 ...

s are orange to yellow. The main background color is bluish, the intensity of the latter varying from blue-grey to intense blue, slightly speckled by tiny black spots. The blue dorsal side and the foot are bordered with a black line which can be discontinuous depending on the specimen. A black dash between the

s distinguishes this species from similar species like ''

Chromodoris elisabethina ''Chromodoris elisabethina'' is a species of very colourful sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Chromodorididae. Distribution This species was described from Burias Island in the Philippines. It is found i ...

'' and ''

Chromodoris westraliensis ''Chromodoris westraliensis'' is a species of very colourful sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Chromodorididae.Caballer, M. (2011)''Chromodoris westraliensis'' (O'Donoghue, 1924).Accessed through: World Regi ...

''. The mantle edge and the foot are bordered with white and orange to yellow lines in which the width and the color intensity can vary greatly from a specimen to another.Rudman, W.B., 1998 (November 19
''Chromodoris annae'' Bergh, 1877.
n/nowiki> Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.

Ecology

This nudibranch feeds on the sponge ''Petrosaspongia'' sp.Rudman, W. B. & Bergquist, P. R. (2007) A review of feeding specificity in the sponge-feeding Chromodorididae (Nudibranchia: Mollusca). Molluscan Research, 27(2): 60-88 Image:Chromodoris annae.JPG, ''Chromodoris annae''. Image:Chromodoris annae2.jpg, ''Chromodoris annae'' in the Philippines. Image:Chromodorididae - Chromodoris annae.jpg, ''Chromodoris annae'' in Bunaken, Sulawesi

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1115194 Chromodorididae Gastropods described in 1877