Glossodoris pallida
| Glossodoris pallida | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Glossodoris pallida from northern Sulawesi, Indonesia. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| (unranked): | clade Heterobranchia clade Euthyneura |
| Superfamily: | Doridoidea |
| Family: | Chromodorididae |
| Genus: | Glossodoris |
| Species: | G. pallida |
| Binomial name | |
| Glossodoris pallida Ruppell & Leuckart, 1828 [1] | |
Glossodoris pallida is a species of a nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Chromodorididae.
Distribution
This species occurs in the tropical Indo-West Pacific Ocean. It has been observed in locations as far apart as Tanzania in Africa, Hachijo Island in Japan and Queensland in Australia.[1]
Description
Glossodoris pallida is semi-translucent-white all over with a thin yellow-margined mantle. It also has opaque white patches on its upper mantle. Both its gills and rhinophores are also white.
Ecology
This species, like many other nudibranchs, feeds on sponges. It has also been seen feeding on grey-black sponges from the Cacospongia genus.
Glossodoris pallida, like other Chromodorid nudibranchs, stores chemicals it gains from the sponges it eats within its body. These chemicals are unpalatable to fish and other creatures, making the nudibranch much less likely to be eaten.[2]