Felimida macfarlandi (T. D. A. Cockerell, 1901)

Description

A fairly large chromodorid, reaching about 44 mm in length. The mantle is deep purple with several (usually three) bright orange longitudinal stripes running along the back and a white mantle margin; the rhinophores and gill are tinged with purple. The bold purple-and-orange pattern makes it very conspicuous.

Distribution

Eastern Pacific, recorded from central California, USA, south to Baja California, Mexico, on subtidal rocky reefs. It was originally described from La Jolla, California.

Etymology

The specific epithet macfarlandi was given by the author, T. D. A. Cockerell, in honour of Prof. Frank Mace MacFarland (1869–1951) of Stanford University, a specialist on opisthobranch molluscs.

Remarks

A sponge feeder, reported to prey on sponges of the genus Aplysilla. It is one of the showy chromodorids characteristic of the California coast, and in English is known as MacFarland's chromodorid or the three-stripe doris.

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References

• Chromodoris macfarlandi n.sp., Cockerell T.D.A. (1901). Pigments of nudibranchiate Mollusca. Nature. 65(1674): 79-80.
• Chromodoris macfarlandi, Helmut Debelius, Rudie H. Kuiter. (2007). Nudibranchs of the World.
• Felimida macfarlandi comb. nov., Johnson R.F. & Gosliner T.M. (2012). Traditional taxonomic groupings mask evolutionary history: a molecular phylogeny and new classification of the chromodorid nudibranchs. PLoS ONE 7(4): e33479.