Nudibranch
Nudibranchs (/ˈnjuːdɪbræŋk/) belong to the order Nudibranchia, a group of soft-bodied marine gastropod molluscs that shed their shells after their larval stage. They are noted for their often extraordinary colours and striking forms, and they have been given colourful nicknames to match, such as "clown", "marigold", "splendid", "dancer", "dragon", and "sea rabbit". Currently, about 3,000 valid species of nudibranchs are known.
| Nudibranch | |
|---|---|
| Berghia coerulescens | |
| Chromodoris lochi pair in Puerto Galera, the Philippines | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Heterobranchia |
| Infraclass: | Euthyneura |
| Subterclass: | Ringipleura |
| Superorder: | Nudipleura |
| Order: | Nudibranchia Cuvier, 1817 |
| Clades | |
| Diversity | |
| About 3000 species | |
The word nudibranch comes from the Latin nudus 'naked' and the Ancient Greek βράγχια (bránkhia) 'gills'.
Nudibranchs are often casually called sea slugs, as they are a family of opisthobranchs (sea slugs), within the phylum Mollusca (molluscs), but many sea slugs belong to several taxonomic groups that are not closely related to nudibranchs. A number of these other sea slugs, such as the photosynthetic Sacoglossa and the colourful Aglajidae, are often confused with nudibranchs.