Diaulula sandiegensis

Diaulula sandiegensis
A pair of Diaulula sandiegensis mating
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
(unranked):	clade Heterobranchia clade Euthyneura clade Nudipleura clade Nudibranchia
Superfamily:	Doridoidea
Family:	Discodorididae
Genus:	Diaulula
Species:	D. sandiegensis
Binomial name
Diaulula sandiegensis (Cooper, 1862)

Diaulula sandiegensis is a species of sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusk in the family Discodorididae.

The specific epithet sandiegensis means: "of San Diego", the Southern California city.

Diaulula sandiegensis

Distribution

This dorid nudibranch occurs in the eastern Pacific, from Alaska to Baja California, Mexico. It also occurs in Japan.

Diaulula sandiegensis in a central California tidepool

Description

This nudibranch grows to about 100 mm (4") in length. The background color can be white or any shade of yellow to a yellowish brown, and it has characteristic markings consisting of a few (and sometimes more numerous) brown rings or irregular spots.

Life habits

This species feeds on sponges.

References

Behrens D. W., 1980, Pacific Coast Nudibranchs: a guide to the opisthobranchs of the northeastern Pacific, Sea Challenger Books, Washington

External links

Sea Slug Forum species factsheet: [1]