Cauliflower Nudibranch
Dendrodoris tuberculosa
Also known as: Bumpy Dendrodoris, Dorid Nudibranch, Nudibranch, Sidegill Slug, Tuberculose Dendrodoris, Tuberculous Nudibranch, Warty Sea Slug, Warty Sidegill Sea Slug
- Bumpy Dendrodoris
- Dorid Nudibranch
- Nudibranch
- Sidegill Slug
- Tuberculose Dendrodoris
- Tuberculous Nudibranch
- Warty Sea Slug
- Warty Sidegill Sea Slug
Overview
Found singly, pairs or in groups, on muddy bottoms and seagrass beds of reef flats.
Opisthobranchia - Nudibranchs - Sea Slugs meaning "naked gills" are molluscs without a hard shell.
All opisthobranchs are hermaphrodites.
These beautiful slugs are usually brilliantly coloured and this in itself can act as a deterrent against predators. Some sea slugs secrete acid from stinging cells in their tentacles while others secrete acid from cells in their mantle.
Nudibranchs are slow moving, can swim or be propelled along either by muscular contraction or by millions of tiny hairs on the bottom of a fleshy 'foot', they have a voracious appetite and feed with a rasp like tongue.
Nudibranch lay their eggs in a ribbon effect on the sand, in different colours depending on species.
How to identify
Habitat & where to find it
- Range · Indo-West Pacific
- Country only · 1
Found singly, pairs or in groups, on muddy bottoms and seagrass beds of reef flats.
Adult photos 1
Discussion
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Deep dive
Taxonomy
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumMollusca
- classGastropoda
- orderDoridida
- familyDendrodorididae
- genusDendrodoris
- speciesDendrodoris tuberculosa (Quoy & Gaimard, 1832)
SourcesWoRMSSea Slug Forum
More in the family
Sea Slugs (Dendrodorididae)
