Nembrotha cristata | |
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Side view | |
Top view in Bunaken National Park | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Gastropoda |
Subclass: | Heterobranchia |
Order: | Nudibranchia |
Suborder: | Doridina |
Superfamily: | Polyceroidea |
Family: | Polyceridae |
Genus: | Nembrotha |
Species: | N. cristata
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Binomial name | |
Nembrotha cristata |
Nembrotha cristata is a species of colourful sea slug, a polycerid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Polyceridae.[2] This species of sea slug is black with green markings; adults are around 50 mm long, and they live on rock or coral reefs in the tropical Indo-West Pacific Ocean.
Nembrotha cristata is a large black nembrothine ("nembrothid" in much of the literature) growing to at least 50 mm long. Its body is covered with raised green nodules. The rhinophores and gills are black-edged in green. Other than the difference in colour, this species is similar in appearance to Nembrotha yonowae.[3]
This nudibranch species was described from the Philippines. It occurs in the tropical Indo-West Pacific Ocean.[4] It lives at depths between three and twenty metres. These sea slugs live on coral or rock reefs and have a lifespan of up to a year.[4]
The bright colours of this nudibranch species are an aposematic warning to predators. These sea slugs eat compound tunicates. Like all opisthobranchs, they are hermaphrodites.[4]