Triopha catalinae
| Sea clown triopha | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | Mollusca
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| Class: | |
| (unranked): | clade Heterobranchia
clade Euthyneura clade Nudipleura clade Nudibranchia clade Euctenidiacea clade Doridacea |
| Superfamily: | |
| Family: | |
| Subfamily: | |
| Genus: | |
| Species: | T. catalinae
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| Binomial name | |
| Triopha catalinae (Cooper, 1863)
| |
Triopha catalinae, commonly known as the sea clown triopha or sea clown, is a species of colorful sea slug called a nudibranch. Sea clowns are a shell-less marine, gastronomic mollusk in the taxonomic family Polyceridae.
The species' Latin name is named after Santa Catalina Island, California.
Distribution[]
This species lives in the Western Pacific from Alaska to Mexico, and has also been found in Japan and South Korea.[1][2]
Life habits[]
This nudibranch grazes on bryozoans.[2]
Triopha catalinae
Triopha catalinae on red coralline algae in a tide pool in Central California
References[]
- ^ Berhrens, D. W., 1980, Pacific Coast Nudibranchs: A guide to the opisthobranchs of the northeastern Pacific, Sea Challenger Books, Washington.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Triopha catalinae (Cooper, 1863) Archived 16 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine Sea Slug Forum, accessed 17 July 2009.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Triopha catalinae. |
- SEM images of the radula can be found at Thompson, T.E.; Bebbington, A. (1973). "Scanning electron microscope studies of gastropod radulae". Malacologia. 14: 147–165.
Categories:
- Polyceridae
- Molluscs of the Pacific Ocean
- Molluscs of Asia
- Molluscs of North America
- Molluscs of the United States
- Fauna of the Channel Islands of California
- Santa Catalina Island (California)
- Western North American coastal fauna
- Gastropods described in 1863