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Description
Phyllidiopsis is a genus of nudibranchs in the family Phyllidiidae and is accepted in WoRMS (type species P. cardinalis). According to Wikipedia it has about 30 species in the tropical Indo-Pacific, eastern Pacific, Red Sea, Caribbean and northwest Atlantic, and about half of the species live in deep water, where they are white and lack contrasting colours. A 2003 molecular analysis found the genus to be paraphyletic.
Identification
The oral tentacles are fused along their length, forming an oblong structure. In some species (as shown on Nudi Pixel) the tubercles are low and rounded and arranged in lengthwise rows with narrow dark stripes between them and dark rhinophores. A molecular study splits the genus into two groups: tubercular species and species with ridges or a smooth back.
Species in this genus (6)
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