Spanish Dancers
Spanish Dancers are up to 60 cm long, mostly bright scarlet, sponge-feeding nudibranchs. The mantle is usually folded over towards the middle of the body forming a protected area often occupied by Emperor Shrimps. The covered area is brightly coloured, and when the animal feels threatened the mantle folds can be suddenly unfurled to flash the colour warning. They are good swimmers, an ability they use to find new feeding groups and to escape predators. The egg masses are also red and the ribbons folded and pleated, giving the appearance of a flamenco dress. Together with the elegant and flambouyant movements while swimming, earned them the name Spanish Dancer.
Polyceridae
Thecacera is the emost commonly encountered member of this family. They all appear to feed on bryozans and can sometimes be seen in small groups on a bryozoan colony. The non-retractile gills sit between two "horns" of unknown function, other than being a way to protect the gills. The rhinophones are protected by well-developed sheaths.
Nembrothinae
The ascidean eating genus Nembrotha, bryozoan eating Tambja and the canabalistic Roboastra belong to this group. The neon oranged marked Nembrotha kubaryana is the best known of these relatively large and colourful nudibranchs. As with all the Polyceridae, their gills are non-retractable.
Goniodorididae
Goniodoris, Goniodoridella, Okenia and Trapania are all morphologically very distinctive, often with a distinctive mantle edge, and long or short surface papillae or other appendages. These small nudibranchs feed mostly on bryozoans, ascidians or on whatever lives on the surface of some sponges.
Aegires
The sponge-feeding Aegires species fall visually into two groups. There are the relatively small species with many papillae or tubercules (e.g. Aegeres villosus), and the large species like the Banana Nudibranch Aegires minor. Large appendages protect the non-retractable gills of this group.
Gymnodoris
There are two visually distinct groups in Gymnodoris; large species mostly with almost flat to hemispherical tubercles with a colour distince from the body, e.g. Gymnodoris rubropapulosa; and small species with muted colours. All seem to feed on other nudibranchs, except G. nigricolor which feeds on the fins of partner gobies.
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Spanish Dancers
Spanish Dancers
Spanish Dancers are up to 60 cm long, mostly bright scarlet, sponge-feeding nudibranchs. The mantle is usually folded over towards the middle of the body forming a protected area often occupied by Emperor Shrimps. The covered area is brightly coloured, and when the animal feels threatened the mantle folds can be suddenly unfurled to flash the colour warning. They are good swimmers, an ability they use to find new feeding groups and to escape predators. The egg masses are also red and the ribbons folded and pleated, giving the appearance of a flamenco dress. Together with the elegant and flambouyant movements while swimming, earned them the name Spanish Dancer.
Polyceridae
Polyceridae
Thecacera is the emost commonly encountered member of this family. They all appear to feed on bryozans and can sometimes be seen in small groups on a bryozoan colony. The non-retractile gills sit between two "horns" of unknown function, other than being a way to protect the gills. The rhinophones are protected by well-developed sheaths.
Nembrothinae
Nembrothinae
The ascidean eating genus Nembrotha, bryozoan eating Tambja and the canabalistic Roboastra belong to this group. The neon oranged marked Nembrotha kubaryana is the best known of these relatively large and colourful nudibranchs. As with all the Polyceridae, their gills are non-retractable.
Goniodorididae
Goniodorididae
Goniodoris, Goniodoridella, Okenia and Trapania are all morphologically very distinctive, often with a distinctive mantle edge, and long or short surface papillae or other appendages. These small nudibranchs feed mostly on bryozoans, ascidians or on whatever lives on the surface of some sponges.
Aegires
Aegires
The sponge-feeding Aegires species fall visually into two groups. There are the relatively small species with many papillae or tubercules (e.g. Aegeres villosus), and the large species like the Banana Nudibranch Aegires minor. Large appendages protect the non-retractable gills of this group.
Gymnodoris
Gymnodoris
There are two visually distinct groups in Gymnodoris; large species mostly with almost flat to hemispherical tubercles with a colour distince from the body, e.g. Gymnodoris rubropapulosa; and small species with muted colours. All seem to feed on other nudibranchs, except G. nigricolor which feeds on the fins of partner gobies.
