2026 · Photo: Boaz Liebes
Berthellina delicata
Orange Gumdrop Side-gilled Slug
Philippines · Indo Pacific - South China Sea
- Size
- 20–40 mm · max 57 mm
- Depth
- 0–9 m
- Native range
- Indo-Pacific, including Hawaii.
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Description
An orange side-gilled sea slug (Pleurobranchida), nicknamed the 'orange gumdrop' for its soft, gelatinous look. It hides under rocks by day and has an internal shell; long reported in the literature as Berthellina citrina.
Share link: https://seaslugs.org.il/species/berthellina-delicata-pease-1861-phillipines-indo-pacific-south-china-sea/
Identification
Smooth, uniformly light to dark orange body, sometimes with a few scattered pale spots on the mantle. Rolled rhinophores and a broad oral veil at the front; a single plume-like gill on the right side under the mantle edge.
Similar species
Other orange Berthellina and Berthella species are best separated by internal anatomy; orange dorids have a ring of gills on the back rather than a gill on the side.
Habitat & diet
Habitat
Under rocks and rubble on reefs and rocky shores, including tide pools and Halimeda beds; intertidal to at least 9 m.
Food
Sponges and stony corals (e.g. Porites, Montipora).