Ancula lentiginosa is a species of sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Goniodorididae.[2]

Ancula lentiginosa
Ancula lentiginosa from Santa Cruz, California
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Nudibranchia
Superfamily: Onchidoridoidea
Family: Goniodorididae
Genus: Ancula
Species:
A. lentiginosa
Binomial name
Ancula lentiginosa
Farmer & Sloan, 1964[1]

Distribution

edit

This species was first described from La Jolla, California.

Description

edit

This goniodorid nudibranch is translucent white in colour with brown patches or stripes composed of small brown spots interspersed with white pigment. The pre-rhinophoral papillae, rhinophore clubs and gills are similarly mottled with brown and there is a line of brown spots along the ridge of the tail. There are two extra-branchial papillae which are translucent white with a band of brown spots below the tip.[3]

 
Ancula lentiginosa from Morro Bay, California

Ecology

edit

Ancula lentiginosa feeds on Barentsia sp., Entoprocta which often grow on hydroids, bryozoa and other living substrata.[3]

References

edit
  1. ^ Farmer, W. M., & Allan J. Sloan, 1964. A new opisthobranch mollusk from La Jolla, California. Veliger 6(3):148-150, pl. 18.
  2. ^ Bouchet, P. (2015). Ancula lentiginosa Farmer & Sloan, 1964. In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2015-10-20
  3. ^ a b Behrens. D., 2005. Ancula lentiginosa. [at] The Slug Site (Michael Miller, USA)
  • Keen, A. M. 1971. Sea Shells of Tropical West America. Marine mollusks from Baja California to Peru, ed. 2. Stanford University Press. xv, 1064 pp., 22 pls.