Phestilla melanobrachia is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Trinchesiidae.[2]
| Phestilla melanobrachia | |
|---|---|
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| An orange individual of Phestilla melanobrachia, head end towards the left | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Order: | Nudibranchia |
| Suborder: | Cladobranchia |
| Superfamily: | Fionoidea |
| Family: | Trinchesiidae |
| Genus: | Phestilla |
| Species: | P. melanobrachia
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| Binomial name | |
| Phestilla melanobrachia | |
| Synonyms | |
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There are two known colour forms of Phestilla melanobrachia, black and orange.[3] Both of these feed on corals in the family Dendrophylliidae [4] and have been found to be genetically identical.[5]
Distribution
editThis species was described from the Philippines.[1] It has been reported from Hong Kong and Japan to Malaysia and East to Australia.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b Bergh, L. S. R. (1874). Neue Nacktschnecken der Südsee, malacologische Untersuchungen II. Journal des Museum Godeffroy 2(6):91-116, pls. 1-4.
- ^ Picton, B.; Gofas, S.; Bieler, R.; Bouchet, P. (2017). Phestilla melanobrachia Bergh, 1874. In: MolluscaBase (2017). Accessed on 2017-11-08.
- ^ a b Rudman, W.B., 2001 (July 10) Phestilla melanobrachia Bergh, 1874. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.
- ^ Rudman, W. B. (April 1981). "Further studies on the anatomy and ecology of opisthobranch molluscs feeding on the scleractinian coral Porites". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 71 (4): 373–412. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1981.tb01136.x.
- ^ Faucci, A.; Toonen, R.; Hadfield, M. (7 January 2007). "Host shift and speciation in a coral-feeding nudibranch". Proc Biol Sci. 274 (1606): 111–119. doi:10.1098/rspb.2006.3685. PMC 1679885.