| Aldisa cooperi | |
|---|---|
| |
| Aldisa cooperi, head end towards the bottom of this image | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Heterobranchia |
| Order: | Nudibranchia |
| Suborder: | Doridina |
| Superfamily: | Doridoidea |
| Family: | Cadlinidae |
| Genus: | Aldisa |
| Species: | A. cooperi
|
| Binomial name | |
| Aldisa cooperi | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Aldisa cooperi is a species of sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Cadlinidae.[3]
This demersal nudibranch is found in cold to temperate waters, from the intertidal to subtidal zones (up to a depth of 20 m), along the Pacific coast of North America, from California to Alaska. It has also been reported from the coasts of Japan and Korea.[4]
Cooper's aldisa is a small dorid nudibranch, growing to a length of 25 mm. Its mantle has a yellow to orange color, with some black spots spread over it. It has a smooth body covered with sparse, low tubercles and gills clustered on the posterior part of its body. It lays its eggs in ribbons.[5][6]
The vulnerability of this species is low to moderate, but it is not listed in the IUCN Red List.
It is usually found nestled in its food sponge Anthoarcuata graciae.[7] This sponge is currently classified as a member of the genus Antho, family Clathriidae, but may actually belong to the family Hymedesmiidae as other Aldisa species specialise on sponges from this family. [8]
