- Hermissenda crassicornis
Taxobox
name = "Hermissenda crassicornis"
image_width = 250px
image_caption = A pair of "Hermissenda crassicornis" in a CentralCalifornia tide pool
regnum =Animal ia
phylum =Mollusca
classis =Gastropoda
ordo =Opisthobranchia
subordo =Nudibranch ia
superfamilia =Aeolidioidea
familia =Glaucidae
genus = "Hermissenda "
species = "H. crassicornis"
binomial = "Hermissenda crassicornis"
binomial_authority = Eschscholtz, 1831"Hermissenda crassicornis" is a
species of small, brightly-colored, seaslug ornudibranch , a marineopisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the familyGlaucidae .This species does not really have a
common name , but some people call it the "opalescent sea slug".Distribution
This nudibranch lives from
Kodiak Island ,Alaska , toPunta Eugenia ,Mexico .The species has also been observed in
Bahia de los Angeles ,Gulf of California , and inJapan [cite web | url = http://slugsite.us/bow/nudwk24.htm | publisher = The Slugsite| title = Hermissenda crassicornis | accessdate = 17 April | accessyear = 2006] .Habitat
It can be found in various habitats, including the
intertidal zone of rocky shores but also in bays and estuaries.Description
The species grows to be about 50 mm, or about 2 inches. The color of this nudibranch varies from place to place, but it is always easily recognizable by the orange stripe along the back.
Life habits
This nudibranch feeds on
hydroid s and other marine organisms such asascidian s andsea anemones . It sometimes attacks other nudibranchs, and will eat smaller specimens of its own species.References
External links
* Sea Slug Forum, species fact sheet: [http://www.seaslugforum.net/showall.cfm?base=hermcras]
Books
* Behrens David W., 1980, ‘’Pacific Coast Nudibranchs: a guide to the opisthobranchs of the northeastern Pacific’’, Sea Challenger Books, California
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