Orange-peel Doris
Acanthodoris lutea
Summary 4
The orange-peel doris, (Acanthodoris lutea), is a species of nudibranch or sea slug, a shell-less marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the family Onchidorididae.
Description 5
This nudibranch grows to about 30 mm in length. It has a bright orange papillated dorsum covered with yellow specks. As is the case with many nudibranchs, this bright coloration is thought to be a reminder to would-be predators of its distasteful nature, an example of aposematic coloration. When handled, these slugs often smell of sandalwood.
Distribution 5
This dorid nudibranch was described from Cayucos, San Luis Obispo County, California. It lives on the Pacific coast of North America from Cape Arago, Oregon to northern Baja California, Mexico. Specimens from Duxbury Reef, Marin County, California and Puget Sound, Kitsap County, Washington have been sequenced for the 16S ribosomal RNA, Histone H3 and CO1 genes.
Habitat 5
The orange-peel doris lives in the intertidal and subtidal zones on rocky shores.
Life habits 5
Acanthodoris lutea feeds on bryozoans of the genus Alcyonidium. It turns the chemicals taken from the bryozoan food into a noxious metabolite which is toxic to possible predators. This species is aposematically colored, warning predators of this toxic deterrent.
Sources and Credits
- (c) matt knoth, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/18158503@N00/2202989382
- (c) Brocken Inaglory, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Editing_Image-Acanthodoris_lutea_laying_eggs_2.jpg
- (c) Robin Gwen Agarwal, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Robin Gwen Agarwal
- Adapted by Robin Gwen Agarwal from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acanthodoris_lutea
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acanthodoris_lutea
More Info
iNat Map
| Color | orange |
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