Cadlinella ornatissima
Sunburst ray dorid
Philippines · Indo Pacific - South China Sea
- Size
- 10–35 mm
- Native range
- Indo-West Pacific, from South Africa and the Red Sea to Japan, the Marshall Islands, Australia and New Caledonia.
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Description
A small, striking chromodorid nudibranch whose back is covered in large rounded papillae, unusual in a family of mostly smooth-backed species. Its name means 'most ornate'.
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Identification
Translucent white body with a yellow back bearing oval white papillae whose tips are tinted pink to red. Rhinophores white and elongate; gill white.
Similar species
Hard to confuse: no other common chromodorid combines a yellow back with large pink-tipped white papillae.
Habitat & diet
Habitat
Tropical and subtropical reefs.
Food
Like other chromodorids, presumably feeds on sponges.