Gymnodoris ceylonica (Kelaart, 1858)
- Location
- Dragon Lady, Kerama(Zamami･Amuro･Gahi･Agenashiku), Okinawa, Japan
- Date
- 2016/05/11
- Length
- 45mm
- Depth
- 7.0m
- Water temperature
- 26.0℃
Description
A large gymnodorid reaching about 120 mm in body length. Ground colour is translucent white, the dorsum scattered with eye-catching red to orange-red round spots. The foot margin is outlined by a fine orange to red line.The rhinophores are short with a translucent white base and orange-red tips. The gill is unusually large for the genus, expanding in a broad circle, with the rachis a strong red to orange-red.
Distribution
Widely distributed across the Indian Ocean, western and southern Pacific. Records come from Réunion, Aldabra Atoll, Seychelles, the Red Sea, Sri Lanka, Australia, the Solomon Islands, the Philippines, Japan, Guam, the Marshall Islands and the Society Islands. It inhabits shallow to moderately deep coral and rocky reefs.Etymology
The specific epithet ceylonica is Latin for "of Ceylon (Sri Lanka)", in reference to the type locality from which Kelaart 1858 described the species.Remarks
Originally described by Kelaart 1858 as Trevelyana ceylonica; Trevelyana Kelaart, 1858 is treated as a junior synonym of Gymnodoris Stimpson, 1855, hence the current combination Gymnodoris ceylonica with parentheses around the author. Like other species of Gymnodoris, this slug is a predator on other heterobranch sea slugs, swallowing prey whole.References
- Gymnodoris ceylonica (Kelaart, 1858) — type species, Kelaart E.F. (1858). Description of new and little-known species of Ceylon nudibranchiate molluscs and zoophytes. Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. 3(9): 84-139.
- オオエラキヌハダウミウシ(新称), 馬場菊太郎. (1989). 相模湾新記録種オオエラキヌハダウミウシ(新称). 貝類学雑誌. 48(3): 192-194. https://doi.org/10.18941/venusjjm.48.3_192
- ギュンノドリス・ケイロニカ, 殿塚孝昌. (2003). ウミウシガイドブック〈3〉. TBSブリタニカ.
A Kindle field guide by the site author
Kimoto N. (2026). Sea Slugs of Japan & the Indo-Pacific, 2nd Edition.
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Photos of Gymnodoris ceylonica
Tag:
Same Genus Nudibranchs
Similar Colors Nudibranchs
Academic Database
Sea slug observation data is available in international marine biodiversity databases.