Hermissenda crassicornis is a
speciesIn biology, a species is:* a taxonomic rank or* a unit at that rank ....
of small, brightly-colored, sea
slugSlug is a common word, normally applied to any gastropod mollusc that lacks a shell, has a very reduced shell, or has a small internal shell, in contrast to snails, which are gastropods with coiled shells that are big enough to retract into. All slugs are descended from snails that gradually lost...
or
nudibranchA nudibranch ) is a member of what is now a taxonomic clade, and what was previously a suborder, of soft-bodied, shell-less marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusks, which are noted for their often extraordinary colors and striking forms...
, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the family
GlaucidaeGlaucidae is a taxonomic family of colorful sea slugs. These are specifically aeolid nudibranchs. They are marine opisthobranch gastropod molluscs.-Genera and species:Genera and species within the family Glaucidae include:...
.
This species is also commonly known as the "opalescent sea slug."
This nudibranch lives from
Kodiak IslandKodiak Island is a large island on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska, separated from the Alaska mainland by the Shelikof Strait. The largest island in the Kodiak Archipelago, Kodiak Island is the second largest island in the United States and the 80th largest island in the world, with an...
,
AlaskaAlaska is the largest state of the United States of America by area; it is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, to Punta Eugenia,
MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
The species has also been observed in
Bahia de los AngelesThe ' is a bay located along the east side of the Baja California Peninsula, in the state of Baja California, in northwest Mexico. The bay faces the Sea of Cortez, and has a desert climate. It has many islands off the coast, and is famous for its fabulous fishing...
,
Gulf of CaliforniaThe Gulf of California is a body of water that separates the Baja California Peninsula from the Mexican mainland...
, and in
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
It can be found in various
habitatA habitat is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular animal and plant species...
s, including the
intertidal zoneThe intertidal zone is the area that is exposed to the air at low tide and underwater at high tide . This area can include many different types of habitats, including steep rocky cliffs, sandy beaches, or wetlands...
of rocky shores, but also in bays and
estuariesAn estuary is a semi-enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries are thus subject to both marine influences, such as tides, waves, and the influx of saline water; and riverine influences, such as flows of...
.
The species grows to be about 50 mm, or about 2 inches.
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Hermissenda crassicornis is a
speciesIn biology, a species is:* a taxonomic rank or* a unit at that rank ....
of small, brightly-colored, sea
slugSlug is a common word, normally applied to any gastropod mollusc that lacks a shell, has a very reduced shell, or has a small internal shell, in contrast to snails, which are gastropods with coiled shells that are big enough to retract into. All slugs are descended from snails that gradually lost...
or
nudibranchA nudibranch ) is a member of what is now a taxonomic clade, and what was previously a suborder, of soft-bodied, shell-less marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusks, which are noted for their often extraordinary colors and striking forms...
, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the family
GlaucidaeGlaucidae is a taxonomic family of colorful sea slugs. These are specifically aeolid nudibranchs. They are marine opisthobranch gastropod molluscs.-Genera and species:Genera and species within the family Glaucidae include:...
.
This species is also commonly known as the "opalescent sea slug."
Distribution
This nudibranch lives from
Kodiak IslandKodiak Island is a large island on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska, separated from the Alaska mainland by the Shelikof Strait. The largest island in the Kodiak Archipelago, Kodiak Island is the second largest island in the United States and the 80th largest island in the world, with an...
,
AlaskaAlaska is the largest state of the United States of America by area; it is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, to Punta Eugenia,
MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
The species has also been observed in
Bahia de los AngelesThe ' is a bay located along the east side of the Baja California Peninsula, in the state of Baja California, in northwest Mexico. The bay faces the Sea of Cortez, and has a desert climate. It has many islands off the coast, and is famous for its fabulous fishing...
,
Gulf of CaliforniaThe Gulf of California is a body of water that separates the Baja California Peninsula from the Mexican mainland...
, and in
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Habitat
It can be found in various
habitatA habitat is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular animal and plant species...
s, including the
intertidal zoneThe intertidal zone is the area that is exposed to the air at low tide and underwater at high tide . This area can include many different types of habitats, including steep rocky cliffs, sandy beaches, or wetlands...
of rocky shores, but also in bays and
estuariesAn estuary is a semi-enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries are thus subject to both marine influences, such as tides, waves, and the influx of saline water; and riverine influences, such as flows of...
.
Description
The species grows to be about 50 mm, or about 2 inches. The color of this nudibranch varies from one locality to another, but it is always easily recognizable by the orange stripe along its back.
Life habits
This nudibranch feeds on
hydroid-Marine Biology:Colonial, plant-like animals closely related to jellyfish, with stinging cellsany member of the invertebrate order Hydroida...
s and other marine organisms such as ascidians and sea anemones. It sometimes attacks other nudibranchs, and will eat smaller specimens of its own species.
External links
Books
- Behrens David W., 1980, ‘’Pacific Coast Nudibranchs: a guide to the opisthobranchs of the northeastern Pacific’’, Sea Challenger Books, California