Notodoris minor
A yellow-and-black dorid nudibranch of the Indo-west Pacific.
Last updated
Notodoris_minor.jpg: Shek Graham derivative work: Anna Frodesiak (talk) · via Wikipedia: Notodoris minor · CC BY 2.0
Notodoris minor is a species of sea slug, specifically a dorid nudibranch, which is a shell-less marine gastropod mollusc in the family Aegiridae. It is notable for its distinctive yellow and black coloration and its occurrence across the Indo-west Pacific region.
Scientific classification
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumMollusca
- ClassGastropoda
- OrderNudibranchia
- FamilyAegiridae
- GenusNotodoris
- SpeciesNotodoris minor
Named by Eliot, 1904
Close relatives
Other species of Notodoris with a Codexery entry.
- Notodoris gardineri Notodoris gardineri
Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Notodoris minor (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 531090 (CC BY 4.0)
How big is it?
Largest length in the source, 0.14 m, next to a 1.8 m person.
Diagram: drawn by Codexery, schematic shapes to scale (not a likeness). Length: Wikipedia: Notodoris minor
Where the notodoris minor has been recorded
Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (411 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 23 inland records left out (institution coordinates).
Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain)
Quick Facts
- Maximum length
- 14 cm / 5.51 in
- Skin texture
- toughened with tiny spicules
- Gill location
- midway along the body, partially hidden by three large lobes
- Background color
- yellow
- Pattern
- diagonal and transverse black lines arranged in a network
- Diet
- calcareous sponges of the family Leucettidae
Facts from the source article.
Background
The taxonomy of Notodoris minor has been subject to revision. A 2004 paper considered Notodoris to be a junior synonym of the genus Aegires, but this decision was reversed in 2015.
The species can grow to 14 cm in length. Its skin is toughened with tiny spicules, and the upper surfaces bear a few irregular pustules. The rhinophores are smooth and simple, while the branched gills are located midway along the body and are partially hidden by three large lobes.
The body has a yellow background color with a pattern of diagonal and transverse black lines arranged in a network covering the entire body. The gills and rhinophores are yellow, though in younger specimens and some adults there may be some black pigmentation. Notodoris minor feeds on calcareous sponges belonging to the family Leucettidae; in the Indo-West Pacific, specimens have been recorded eating Leucetta primigenia.
More in Nudibranchs and Sea Slugs
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Notodoris minor (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Classification: the source article's taxobox; order, family and genus checked against WoRMS, the World Register of Marine Species (CC BY 4.0).
- Occurrence records: GBIF (CC0 / CC BY). Basemap: Natural Earth (public domain).
- Word definitions: the , each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced