Hypselodoris pulchella (Rüppell & Leuckart 1830)

Hypselodoris pulchella is a species of sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Chromodorididae.^[3][2]

Description

Hypselodoris pulchella is a long slender species with a body size up to 80 mm or even 110 mm. The mantle edges are well extended along the body, with a thin bluish border. The mantle and the foot are creamy white, covered with numerous small rounded yellowish-orange spots of different sizes. There is always a diffuse pattern of pale violet-brown on the back; this is absent in the similar species Hypselodoris ghardaqana. The sensory tentacles (the antennae like rhinophores) are bluish. The main respiratory organs (gills) vary from bluish to orange. These sea slugs usually raise and lower rhythmically their head, vibrating their gills.^[4] They often show a characteristic 'trailing' behaviour, with two individuals following closely each other. This species feeds on sponges.^[5][6][7][8]

Distribution

This species was described from the Red Sea. Hypselodoris pulchella is found in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean from Kenya and Tanzania, the Comores, Réunion to Sri Lanka, Thailand and the Philippines.^[9]

Habitat

This benthic species can be found at a depth of 3–30 meters.^[10]

Gallery

• 

  Hypselodoris pulchella in Sharm El Sheik. Dorsal view

• 

  Two individuals of Hypselodoris pulchella displaying the typical ‘trailing behaviour’

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  The nudibranch, Goniobranchus annulatus (Eliot, 1904), sometimes confused with H. pulchella

See also

• Watch: Risbecia pulchella (synonym of Hypselodoris pulchella), Indian Ocean, UAE.
• Watch: Two Risbecia pulchella (synonym of Hypselodoris pulchella), Indian Ocean, UAE.
• Watch: Mating Risbecia pulchella (synonym of Hypselodoris pulchella) , Indian Ocean, UAE.
• Watch: Moving Risbecia pulchella (synonym of Hypselodoris pulchella) , Indian Ocean, UAE.

References

Hypselodoris pulchella est une espèce de nudibranches (limaces de mer) appartenant à la famille des Chromodorididae natif de l'Océan Indien et de la Mer Rouge^[4].

Publication originale

• Rüppell & Leuckart, 1828 (1828-1830) : Mollusca [in] Atlas zu des Reise im Nordlichen Afrika von Eduard Rüppell, sér. 3, vol. 171, n. 1, pp. 1-22 (texte intégral) (de).

Notes et références

Hypselodoris pulchella (Ruppell & Leuckart, 1828) è un mollusco nudibranchio della famiglia Chromodorididae.^[1]

Distribuzione e habitat

Specie rinvenibile nell'oceano Indiano, comune nel mar Rosso e nell'Africa orientale.

Note

Bibliografia

• (EN) Gary R. McDonald, University of California Santa Cruz, Nudibranch Systematic Index (2nd ed.), University of California Santa Cruz (PDF), in Institute of Marine Sciences, 17 settembre 2009.
• Rudman W.B., The Chromodorididae (Opisthobranchia: Mollusca) of the Indo-West Pacific: a review of the genera, in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, vol. 81, n. 2/3, 1984, pp. 115-273.
• Rudman, W.B., The Chromodorididae (Ophistobranchia: Mollusca) of the Indo-West Pacific: Chromodoris epicura, C. aureopurpurea, C. annulata, C. coi and Risbecia tryoni colour groups, in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, vol. 90, n. 3, 1987, pp. 305-407.
• Debelius, H. & Kuiter, R.H., Nudibranchs of the world, Frankfurt, ConchBooks, 2007, p. 360, ISBN 978-3-939767-06-0.
• Gosliner, T.M., Behrens, D.W. & Valdes, A., Indo-Pacific Nudibranchs and seaslugs. A field guide to the world's most diverse fauna, Washington, Sea Challengers Natural History Books, 2008, p. 271.

Hypselodoris pulchella is een slakkensoort uit de familie van de Chromodorididae.^[1] De wetenschappelijke naam van de soort is voor het eerst geldig gepubliceerd in 1828 door Rüppell & Leuckart.