Hexabranchus morsomus, also known as the "Caribbean Spanish Dancer",[3] is a species of sea slug, a marine mollusc in the family Hexabranchidae.[4][2]
It occurs in the Caribbean Sea including waters around St. Kitts and the Netherlands Antilles,[5] and has also been identified in Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica, Venezuela, St. Lucia, Martinique, Antigua, Grenada, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago,[3] Aruba, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Sint Maarten.[6]
Body is oval to elongate.[6] Dorsum is small with conical tubercles.[6] Rhinophores are club shaped.[6] Gill is large, composed of several multi-pinnated leaves.[6] Background color is reddish with mottled white and yellow patches on the dorsum.[6] Mantle margin usually curled up over small portion of dorsum covering white areas.[6] It is up to 400 mm long.[6]
It is found under rocks or coral rubble, primarily on living reefs.[6] Minimum recorded depth is 0 m.[7] Maximum recorded depth is 33 m.[7] Defensive behavior consists of the unrolling of the mantle margins to expose bright white areas followed by swimming by contracting the body and mantle margin.[6] Species of the genus Hexabranchus prey on a variety of sponges.[6]
This article incorporates Creative Commons (CC-BY-4.0) text from the reference[6]
Hexabranchus morsomus, also known as the "Caribbean Spanish Dancer", is a species of sea slug, a marine mollusc in the family Hexabranchidae.