Phestilla melanobrachia

Phestilla melanobrachia is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Trinchesiidae.[2]

Phestilla melanobrachia
An orange individual of Phestilla melanobrachia, head end towards the left
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Heterobranchia
Order: Nudibranchia
Suborder: Cladobranchia
Superfamily: Fionoidea
Family: Trinchesiidae
Genus: Phestilla
Species:
P. melanobrachia
Binomial name
Phestilla melanobrachia
Bergh, 1874[1]
Synonyms
  • Tenellia melanobrachia (Bergh, 1874)
  • Phestilla melanobranchia [spelling error]

There are two known colour forms of Phestilla melanobrachia, black and orange.[3] Both of these feed on corals in the family Dendrophylliidae [4] and have been found to be genetically identical.[5]

Distribution

This species was described from the Philippines.[1] It has been reported from Hong Kong and Japan to Malaysia and East to Australia.[3]

References

  1. Bergh, L. S. R. (1874). Neue Nacktschnecken der Südsee, malacologische Untersuchungen II. Journal des Museum Godeffroy 2(6):91-116, pls. 1-4.
  2. Picton, B.; Gofas, S.; Bieler, R.; Bouchet, P. (2017). Phestilla melanobrachia Bergh, 1874. In: MolluscaBase (2017). Accessed on 2017-11-08.
  3. Rudman, W.B., 2001 (July 10) Phestilla melanobrachia Bergh, 1874. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.
  4. Rudman, W. B. (April 1981). "Further studies on the anatomy and ecology of opisthobranch molluscs feeding on the scleractinian coral Porites". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 71 (4): 373–412. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1981.tb01136.x.
  5. Faucci, A.; Toonen, R.; Hadfield, M. (7 January 2007). "Host shift and speciation in a coral-feeding nudibranch". Proc Biol Sci. 274 (1606): 111–119. doi:10.1098/rspb.2006.3685. PMC 1679885.
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