Hypselodoris regina is a conspicuous species of sea slug or dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Chromodorididae.[2]

Hypselodoris regina
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Nudibranchia
Family: Chromodorididae
Genus: Hypselodoris
Species:
H. regina
Binomial name
Hypselodoris regina
Marcus & Marcus, 1970[1]

Distribution

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This nudibranch was described from one specimen collected at Nosy Tanikely, south of Nosy Be, Madagascar amongst coral at 2 m depth.[1] It has been reported from South Africa,[3] Tanzania[4] and Mozambique.[5] It is known only from the Western Indian Ocean.[6]

Description

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Hypselodoris regina has an orange body with typically three black longitudinal lines separated by two elongate orange patches and a white background on its dorsum. There is a continuous or broken orange margin to the mantle. The gills and rhinophores are orange, sometimes outlined in white. This nudibranch is similar in appearance to Chromodoris colemani and Chromodoris hamiltoni, an example of mimicry.[7]

This species can reach a total length of at least 40 mm and has been observed feeding on sponges from the genus Dysidea.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b Marcus Ev. & Marcus Er. (1970). Some gastropods from Madagascar and west Mexico. Malacologia. 10(1): 181-223, page(s): 199, figs 54-59
  2. ^ MolluscaBase (2018). Hypselodoris regina Ev. Marcus & Er. Marcus, 1970. Accessed on 2019-01-20.
  3. ^ Gosliner, T.M., Behrens, D.W. & Valdés, Á. (2008) Indo-Pacific nudibranchs and sea slugs: a field guide to the world’s most diverse fauna. Sea Challengers Natural History Books, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, 426 pp.
  4. ^ Rudman, W.B. (1977) Chromodorid opisthobranch Mollusca from East Africa and the tropical West Pacific. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 61: 351-397
  5. ^ Tibiriçá, Y.; Pola, M.; Cervera, J. L. (2017). Astonishing diversity revealed: an annotated and illustrated inventory of Nudipleura (Gastropoda: Heterobranchia) from Mozambique. Zootaxa. 4359 (1): 001–133, p. 37, fig. 11B
  6. ^ a b Rudman, W.B., 2000 (January 17) Hypselodoris regina Marcus & Marcus, 1970. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.
  7. ^ Gosliner, T.M., Behrens, D.W. & Valdés, Á., 2018. Nudibranch and Sea Slug Identification - Indo-Pacific. New World Publications; 2nd Revised, Updated edition. 452 pp. ISBN 1878348671, ISBN 978-1878348678, p. 188