Verconia norba
| Verconia norba | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Verconia norba off of Guam, head end towards the bottom of the image | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| (unranked): | clade Heterobranchia clade Euthyneura |
| Superfamily: | Doridoidea |
| Family: | Chromodorididae |
| Genus: | Verconia |
| Species: | V. norba |
| Binomial name | |
| Verconia norba (Marcus & Marcus, 1970) | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Noumea norba Er. Marcus & Ev. Marcus, 1970 | |
Verconia norba is a species of colorful sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusk in the family Chromodorididae.[1]
Distribution
This species is found throughout the tropical Indo-West Pacific.[2]
Description
The length of the body varies between 7 mm and 25 mm. In this species the mantle can vary in color from reddish purple to pinkish orange. The mantle border is creamy white. Just inside the mantle border are a series of reddish purple streaks or smudged marks which are a more vibrant purple than the main body color. Along the midline of the animal is a white patch that matches the white border. This patch sometimes encircles the gills and extends anteriorly between the rhinophores. The line is often broken into two patches anterior-posteriorly. The rhinophores and branchia (gills) have an orange-red tint. Identifying individual purple sea slugs within the genus Noumea can be challenging because purple forms exist in several related species.
Ecology
The food source for this species has not been definitely identified, however this species has been found on coralline alga, which may prove to be part of its diet.[3]
References
- ↑ Bieler, R. (2015). Verconia norba (Er. Marcus & Ev. Marcus, 1970). In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=866658 on 2016-01-13
- ↑ Noumea norba, Sea Slug Forum.
- ↑ Noumea norba food source, Sea Slug Forum.
- Marcus, E. & Marcus, E. 1970. Opisthobranch Mollusks from the Southern Tropical Pacific. Pacific Science 24: 155-179
- Debelius, H. & Kuiter, R.H. 2007. Nudibranchs of the world. Frankfurt : IKAN-Unterwasserarchiv.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Noumea norba. |