Hexabranchus
Spanish dancers
Back to family Spanish dancersBack to the gallery
Description
Hexabranchus (Ehrenberg, 1828) is an accepted genus of dorid nudibranchs and the only genus in the family Hexabranchidae. It includes some of the largest nudibranchs: the "Spanish dancer" (Hexabranchus sanguineus) exceeds 25 cm, up to about 40 cm in the Red Sea, and occurs in the Red Sea, Indian Ocean and Pacific. It is active at night, feeds on sponges and uses chemical defences derived from them. When disturbed it unfurls its mantle edge and swims with undulating movements.
Identification
A very large dorid, usually red to blood-red, with a wide inrolled mantle edge that is unfurled for swimming. Six branched gills that cannot be retracted into pockets surround the anus, and there are two flattened, lobed oral tentacles.
Species in this genus (2)
Sources (5)
Share link: https://seaslugs.org.il/genus/Hexabranchus/