Kingdom Animalia Class Gastropoda Family Phyllidiidae Scientific name Phyllidia babai | Phylum Mollusca Superfamily Phyllidioidea Genus Phyllidia Rank Species | |
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Similar Phyllidia exquisita, Phyllidia elegans, Phyllidia coelestis, Phyllidiopsis, Reticulidia halgerda | ||
Phyllidia babai is a species of sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusk in the family Phyllidiidae.
Contents
The specific name babai is in honor of the Japanese malacologist Kikutaro Baba.
Distribution
The holotype of this species was collected at Lion Island, Papua New Guinea, 9.536°S 147.272°E / -9.536; 147.272. It has also been reported from North Sulawesi, Lembeh Strait, southern Queensland, Australia, South Korea and rarely on Okinawa. A number of similar coloured species have been found but are probably not yet named.
Description
This nudibranch has a cream to light yellow coloured dorsum with white tubercles in the center of black rings and the mantle finely edged in yellow. The clavus of each rhinophore has 21 to 24 lamellae, and the rhinophoral pocket is trimmed in white. Its white-coloured, pointed, oral tentacles have lateral grooves, and they also are trimmed in yellow. The ventral surface is a pale cream colour.
Diet
This species feeds on the yellow sponge, Acanthella stipata.