Family
Samlid nudibranchs
Samlidae
- Species in the gallery
- 3
- Genera
- 1
Back to superfamily Fionoid nudibranchs (Flabellina and relatives)Back to sub-order Cladobranch nudibranchsBack to order NudibranchsBack to the gallery
Description
Samlidae is a family of aeolid nudibranchs in the superfamily Fionoidea (suborder Cladobranchia), erected by Korshunova and colleagues in 2017 when the former Flabellinidae was split on molecular evidence. It contains two genera, Samla and Luisella, with about ten known species and undescribed forms. Samla species such as S. bicolor and S. macassarana are Indo-West Pacific, while Luisella babai occurs in the Mediterranean and nearby Atlantic. Like their flabellinid relatives they feed on hydroids.
Identification
Samlids have the classic 'flabellinid' look: a narrow body, long oral tentacles, perfoliate (stacked-ring) rhinophores and cerata grouped in clusters on raised stalks along the sides of the back. Colours are often bright, for example white or translucent cerata with orange or white tips. They are hard to separate from Flabellinidae and Coryphellidae in the field, so identification is usually made at genus or species level.
Genera
3 species
Sources (3)
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