Felimare ruthae

Felimare ruthae
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Nudibranchia
Family: Chromodorididae
Genus: Felimare
Species:
F. ruthae
Binomial name
Felimare ruthae
(Marcus & Hughes, 1974)
Synonyms
  • Hypselodoris ruthae Ev. Marcus & Hughes, 1974 (basionym)

Felimare ruthae is a colourful species of sea slug or dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Chromodorididae.

Distribution

This nudibranch is known from the Caribbean. and the Gulf of Mexico.

Description

Felimare ruthae has a blue-black body with a yellow-lined mantle and yellow longitudinal lines and bright-blue striations on its dorsum. The gills are typically translucent outlined with black and the rhinophores are black with a yellow-white line running vertically.

This species can reach a total length of at least 25 mm and has been observed feeding on the sponge Dysidea etheria.

Habitat

Minimum recorded depth is 1 m (3 ft 3 in) and maximum recorded depth is 12 m (39 ft).

References

  1. ↑ Marcus Ev. & Hughes H. P. (1974). "Opisthobranch mollusks from Barbados". Bulletin of Marine Science 24(3): 498-532.
  2. 1 2 Bouchet, P. (2012). Felimare ruthae. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at on 2012-05-14
  3. 1 2 3 Rudman, W.B., 2005 (October 20) Hypselodoris ruthae Marcus & Hughes, 1974. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.
  4. ↑ Johnson R.F. & Gosliner T.M. (2012) Traditional taxonomic groupings mask evolutionary history: A molecular phylogeny and new classification of the chromodorid nudibranchs. PLoS ONE 7(4): e33479
  5. ↑ Rosenberg, G., F. Moretzsohn, and E. F. García. 2009. Gastropoda (Mollusca) of the Gulf of Mexico, Pp. 579–699 in Felder, D.L. and D.K. Camp (eds.), Gulf of Mexico–Origins, Waters, and Biota. Biodiversity. Texas A&M Press, College Station, Texas.
  6. ↑ Ortea, J., Valdés, Á. & García-Gómez, J.C. (1996). Revisión de las especies atlánticas de la familia Chromodorididae (Mollusca: Nudibranchia) del grupo cromático azul. Avicennia suplemento 1: 1-165 page(s): 93.
  7. ↑ Debelius, H. & Kuiter, R.H. (2007) Nudibranchs of the world. ConchBooks, Frankfurt, 360 pp. ISBN 978-3-939767-06-0 page(s): 113
  8. ↑ Welch J. J. (2010). "The "Island Rule" and Deep-Sea Gastropods: Re-Examining the Evidence". PLoS ONE 5(1): e8776. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0008776.