Nudibranchs - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Nudibranchs

Damien

A nudibranch is a member of soft-bodied, shell-less marine mullusk. They have colors and forms. The Nudibranch is the largest member of heterobranchs, with more than 3,000 described species.

The word "nudibranch" comes from the Latin nudus, naked, and the Greek brankhia, gills.Nudibranchs are often called "sea slugs", a non-scientific term. This has led some people to assume that every sea slug must be a nudibranch. Nudibranchs are very numerous in terms of species, and are often very attractive and noticeable, but there are a wide variety of other kinds of sea slugs, A fair number of these other sea slugs are colorful, and can be confused with nudibranchs.

HABITAT

Nudibranchs live at virtually all depths of salt water, but reach their greatest size and variation in warm, shallow waters.

The body forms of nudibranchs vary enormously, but because they are opisthobranchs, unlike most other gastropods they are bilaterally symmetrical because they have undergone secondary detorsion

they have no eyes but have senors for feel and smell

They vary in adult size from 20 to 600 mm.

The adult form is without a shell

Reproduction

Nudibranchs are hermaphroditic, they have a set of reproductive organs for both sexes, and rarely fertilize themselves.

Nudibranchs typically deposit their eggs within a gelatin like spiral

Feeding

Nudibranchs are carnivorous. Some feed on sponges, others on hydroids, others on bryozoans, and some are cannibals, eating other sea slugs, or, on some occasions, members of their own species. Other groups feed on tunicates, barnacles, or anemones

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