Lined Nembrotha (species: Nembrotha lineolata) in Upolu Reef (Gaia Guide)
Nembrotha lineolata
Lined Nembrotha


©David Witherall and Jon Wong: Lined Nembrotha (Nembrotha lineolata) Upolu Reef

©Barbara Banks: Nembrotha lineolata at Lizard Island

©Barbara Banks: Nembrotha lineolata at Lizard Island
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Mollusca
Class Gastropoda
Order Nudibranchia
Family Polyceridae
Genus Nembrotha
Species Nembrotha lineolata

Colours

                                  

Distinguishing features

The body is slender with a rounded head at one end and a pointed tip to the foot at the other. The exterior of the body is covered with longitudinal wrinkles and there is no sharp demarcation between the dorsal surface and the lateral surfaces. The oral tentacles are thick and long and the large conical rhinophores bear about thirty lamellae and can be retracted. The three large pinnate branchial plumes on the dorsal surface are non-retractile and the anus is located between them. The colouring of this nudibranch is variable across the animal's range. The body colour is creamy-white with narrow longitudinal lines, some broken, in varying shades of brown. Sometimes these lines merge in places giving transverse bands of colour. There is a blue or purple stripe running round the margin of the foot and often a yellow one as well. The oral tentacles are blue or purple with a yellow band and the rhinophores are red (sometimes yellow in the Comoros Islands) with blue or purple sheaths. (Wikipedia)

Size

  • Up to 7 cm (Length of specimen)

Synonyms

Distribution


©Atlas of Living Australia: Australian distribution

Web resources

References

  • Humann, P. and N. Deloach (2010). Reef Creature Identification: Tropical Pacific New World Publications Inc., Jacksonville, Florida, USA.
  • Waegele, H., I. Burghardt, N. Anthes, J. Evertsen, A. Klussman-Kolb and G. Brodie (2006). Species diversity of opisthobranch molluscs on Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia, In: Contemporary studies into the systematics and evolution of opisthobranch molluscs, (Eds. G. Brodie, S. Fahey and F.E. Wells), Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 69: 33-59. LIRS catalog number 1036.