Hexabranchidae is a

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

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 ...

of colorful

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 ...

s (often called "sea slugs") which contains only a single genus ''Hexabranchus'', with two species, and has no subfamilies. This family is one of the many families of dorid nudibranchs in the suborder Doridina, named after

Doris Doris may refer to: People Given name *Doris (mythology) of Greek mythology, daughter of Oceanus and Tethys * Doris, fictional character in the Canadian television series ''Caillou'' and the mother of the titular character *Doris (singer) (born ...

, who was a sea nymph in ancient Greek mythology. The genus contains one of the largest known species of nudibranch in the world, '' H. sanguineus'', which grows up to or exceeding 40 cm in length. This species is known to use

chemical defenses Chemical defense is a life history strategy employed by many organisms to avoid consumption by producing toxic or repellent metabolites or chemical warnings which incite defensive behavioral changes. The production of defensive chemicals occurs in ...

derived from the

sponge Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), are a basal animal clade as a sister of the diploblasts. They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate throug ...

it eats and use the chemical compounds to defend itself from potential fish predators.

Species

There are two species within the genus ''Hexabranchus'':Valdés Á. (2002). "How many species of ''Hexabranchus'' (Opisthobranchia : Dorididae) are there?". ''Molluscan Research'' 22(3): 289-301.
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* ''

Hexabranchus morsomus ''Hexabranchus morsomus'', also known as the "Caribbean Spanish Dancer", is a species of sea slug, a marine mollusc in the family Hexabranchidae.PNAS''Nudibranch Taxonomy'' accessed 1 January 2014.Gofas, S. (2013). Hexabranchus morsomus Ev. Mar ...

'' Ev. Marcus & Er. Marcus, 1962 * ''

Hexabranchus sanguineus The Spanish dancer, scientific name ''Hexabranchus sanguineus'' (literally meaning "blood-colored six-gills"), is a dorid nudibranch, a very large and colorful sea slug, a marine (ocean), marine gastropod mollusk in the family (biology), family ...

'' (Ruppell & Leuckart, 1828) - synonym: ''Hexabranchus praetextus'' Ehrenberg, 1828 - type species

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2637622