The purple lady nudibranch, ''Paraflabellina funeka'', is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of 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 the appropriate s ...

of aeolid nudibranch, and is a very colourful

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 t ...

. It is a

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 The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. T ...

mollusc Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is esti ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Flabellinidae Flabellinidae is a taxonomic family of brightly coloured sea slugs, specifically nudibranchs, marine gastropod mollusks. This family has no subfamilies. Genera and species Genera within the family Flabellinidae include:Bouchet, P. (2011)Flabell ...

.Rosenberg, G. (2012)
''Flabellina funeka''.
Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2012-05-16

Distribution

This species is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found 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 found elsew ...

to the

South African __NOTOC__ South African may relate to: * The nation of South Africa * South African Airways * South African English * South African people * Languages of South Africa * Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the Afric ...

coast and is found only from Cape Point to Port ElizabethGosliner, T. M. 1987. ''Nudibranchs of Southern Africa'' in 5–30 m of water.

Description

The purple lady is a slender purple-bodied aeolid with red cerata having white tips. It is usually smaller than 45 mm. It has annulate purple rhinophores with pale tips. It has a pair of pale-tipped oral tentacles which are shorter than the rhinophores.Gosliner, T. M. and Griffiths, R. J. 1981
Description and revision of some South African aeolidacean Nudibranchia (Mollusca, Gastropoda).
''Ann. S. Afr. Mus.'' 84(2):105-150. It may also be seen in a white-bodied form, but the red cerata and annulate rhinophores are distinctive.Rudman, W.B., 2005 (January 28
''Flabellina funeka'' Gosliner & Griffiths, 1981.
n/nowiki> Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.

Ecology

This aeolid feeds on hydroids of the genus '' Eudendrium''. In common with other aeolid nudibranchs, the cerata of the purple lady aid in respiration but also contain extensions of the digestive system. The purple lady eats the hydroid and passes its

nematocyst A cnidocyte (also known as a cnidoblast or nematocyte) is an explosive cell containing one large secretory organelle called a cnidocyst (also known as a cnida () or nematocyst) that can deliver a sting to other organisms. The presence of this ce ...

s unharmed through its digestive system to the tips of its cerata. Here the nematocysts mature and are then used by the nudibranch for its own defence. It is probable that the bright colours of the purple lady serve to advertise to predators that it is toxic. Despite their

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...

, purple ladies are

hermaphrodite In reproductive biology, a hermaphrodite () is an organism that has both kinds of reproductive organs and can produce both gametes associated with male and female sexes. Many Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic groups of animals (mostly invertebrate ...

s. Their egg mass is highly convoluted and white.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2028762 Endemic fauna of South Africa Flabellinidae Gastropods described in 1981