| Spanish shawl Flabellinopsis iodinea | |
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Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Order: | Nudibranchia |
| Suborder: | Cladobranchia |
| Family: | Flabellinopsidae |
| Genus: | Flabellinopsis |
| Species: | F. iodinea |
| Binomial name | |
| Flabellinopsis iodinea (Cooper, 1863) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Flabellinopsis iodinea, theSpanish shawl, is aspecies of aeolidnudibranch, a very colorfulsea slug. This is amarinegastropodmollusk in thefamilyFlabellinidae.
This species is native to the west coast ofNorth America and further south. It has been reported as far north asBritish Columbia,Canada, and as far south asPunta Asunción,Baja California Sur,Mexico. it is also found in theGulf of California and theGalapagos Islands.
It has been found off the coast ofSanta Catalina Island, California.[1] It has also been found off the coast of the Palos Verdes Peninsula and San Diego, California.
This nudibranch displays a stunning set of colors: thebody is purple, thecerata are orange and therhinophores are scarlet. The neon orange appendages on the back ofFlabellinopsis iodinea are the cerata which extract oxygen from the sea water they are surrounded by and live in. The cerata are also extensions of the digestive system, and are used to store the stinging cells of the anemones and fan-like hydroids they eat. The red rhinophores are sensory structures used for detecting the presence of possible mates and prey. The purple, red, and orange colors are derived from a single carotenoid pigment,astaxanthin. The pigment appears in three modified states, leading to the three distinct colors. It grows to approx 70mm, and is found from the intertidal to approx. 40m deep.[2]
Scientists think the reason why the Spanish Shawl's gills are orange is so they can camouflage with their prey while they are eating. The orange gills on their backs are also a warning to potential predators. The color tells their predators that they are either poisonous or distasteful.
Spanish shawls arehermaphrodites, which means they have both male and female reproductive organs. However, self-fertilisation very rarely occurs. When threatened by other predators, they can gracefully move away by flexing their body strongly and pushing off from the substrate and into midwater.
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