Pleurobranchus grandis, the giant pleurobranch, is a species of sidegill slug, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Pleurobranchidae. Also known as Cuban dancer.
| Pleurobranchus grandis | |
|---|---|
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| A live Pleurobranchus grandis in situ, head end towards the left, off Hurghada, Egypt, in the Red Sea, 2008 | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Order: | Pleurobranchida |
| Family: | Pleurobranchidae |
| Genus: | Pleurobranchus |
| Species: | P. grandis
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| Binomial name | |
| Pleurobranchus grandis W. H. Pease, 1868
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P. grandis is a large sidegill seaslug with highly variable colouration, including combinations of white, cream, yellow, red and black, with tubercles arranged in clusters, Patterns of reticulation, patches, spots or mottling are common. The back end of the foot is rounded. It is nocturnal, and tends to shelter under rocks during the day. It is thought to feed on ascidians.
P. grandis has been reported from Western False Bay, Knysna lagoon, KwaZulu-Natal, Mozambique, northern Indian Ocean and western and central Pacific Ocean, at intertidal to 28m depths.[1]
References
edit- ^ Gosliner, Terrence; Jones, Georgina; Beasley, Lisa; Claassens, Louw; Fraser, Valda; Herbert, David; Jonker, Kate; Liltved, William; Ogden, Colin; Ogden, Maddy; Pretorius, Veronique; Pritchard, Duncan; Scott, Robyn; Sellick, Brian; Sherry, Kate; Snyman, Evania; Southwood, Peter; Strömvoll, Jenny; Thornycroft, Roseanne; Tiberiçá, Yara; Toms, Jessica; van der Colff, Carel; van Jaarsveld, Christo; van Jaarsveld, Petro; Walne, Helen; Zsilavecz, Guido (2023). Gosliner, Terrence; Jones, Georgina (eds.). Southern African Sea Slugs. Cape Town: Southern Underwater Research Group (SURG). ISBN 978-0-7961-2202-5.
External links
edit
- Photos of Pleurobranchus grandis on Sealife Collection
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