Home Guide to Opisthobranchs Nudibranchia Doridina Doridoidei Doridoidea Felimida luteorosea

Felimida luteorosea

Felimida luteorosea (von Rapp, 1827)

Felimida luteorosea @ Costa Brava (Spain) by Enric Madrenas

Taxonomy
 

Superdomain

Biota  

 

Kingdom

Animalia  

 

Phylum

Mollusca  

 

Class

Gastropoda  

 

Subclass

Heterobranchia  

 

Infraclass

Euthyneura  

 

Subterclass

Ringipleura  

 

Superorder

Nudipleura  

 

Order

Nudibranchia  

 

Suborder

Doridina  

 

Infraorder

Doridoidei  

 

Superfamily

Chromodoridoidea  

 

Family

Chromodorididae  

 

Subfamily

Chromodoridinae  

 

Genus

Felimida  

 

Species

Felimida luteorosea  (Rapp, 1827)

 
 Classification according to Bouchet et al. (2017)
Taxonomic source: World Register of Marine Species (AphiaID: 597403).

Taxonomic note: The European Atlantic and Mediterranean species of the genus Chromodoris and Hypselodoris have been reconsidered. After molecular analysis of the Chromodorididae performed by Johnson & Gosliner (2012, Traditional taxonomic groupings mask evolutionary history: A molecular phylogeny and new classification of the chromodorid nudibranchs. PLoS ONE 7(4): 33479) the Hypselodoris species have been included in the genus Felimare Ev. Marcus & Er. Marcus, 1967 and the Chromodoris species have been included in the genus Felimida Ev. Marcus, 1971.

Synonyms

  • Chromodoris iheringi Bergh, 1879
  • Chromodoris luteorosea (Rapp, 1827)
  • Doris luteorosea Rapp, 1827 (original)

Description
The specimens of this species usually measure between 20 and 30 mm, although it has been recorded a maximum size of 55 mm. Its showy coloration make it easily identifiable and at the same time make this one of the most beautiful mediterranean nudibranch species. The back is more or less dark pink or purple with yellow round or oval spots of different sizes and many times they are contoured by a white line. The edge of the mantle has a broad yellow band which usually is both internally and externally contoured by a white line. The rhinophores are purple, the basal portion without lamellae is of a somewhat clearer shade; the laminar portion has 15-20 lamellae tightly placed and the binocular microscope reveals bluish scores. The tips of rhinophores are usually whitish or very soft bluish. The rhinophoric sheath is slightly elevated and its upper edge is smooth. The gill consists of 9 violet gill leaves, with a slightly lighter colored base. The gill leaves are narrow and with small lamellae and the tip is usually pigmented white. The anal papilla is located in the center of the gill leaves, it is slightly prominent and coloured purple. The foot stands behind the mantle forming a pointed tail; the tail is also purple, but there are usually some yellow spots on its dorsal area, as well as in the posterior margins of the foot. Ventrally, the foot and the underside of the mantle are coloured light violet. The foot develops wide cephalic angles in its front side, and the mouth is flanked by a pair of short buccal palps.

Biology
This nudibranch is usually found under stones from 10-15 m deep. It is also cited living in dimly illuminated precoralligenous walls and, in the Mediterranean, on leaves of Posidonia oceanica. It feeds on sponges like Aplysilla rosea and Spongionella pulchella (Barletta & Melone, 1976) and (Cattaneo-Vietti et al. 1990). Its spawn, egg size and embryonic development is still unknown.

Etymology

  • Luteorosea refers to the yellow stains (=luteo) of the dorsum and to the pink or violet colour (=rosea) of this species.

Distribution
This is an eminently Mediterranean species that is also found in the nearby Atlantic areas. Thus it has been cited in Angola (Gofas et al. Conchas e moluscos de Angola), Canary islands, all coastal areas of the Iberian Peninsula (Cervera et al., 2004) and Balearic islands (Darder, 2011). In the Catalan coast it has been cited at Es Caials, Cala Sant Antoni, Cadaques, L’Escala, Illes Medes, Illes Formigues, Tossa de Mar, Cala Canyelles, Cala Sant Francesc, Blanes, port of Tarragona and Ametlla de Mar (Port de l’Estany).

Known georeferenced records of the species: Felimida luteorosea
Sources:
: OBIS
: GROC 2010-2011
: Enric Madrenas
: João Pedro Silva
: Bernard Picton
: GBIF.ORG		 : OPK
: VIMAR
: Manuel Ballesteros.
: M@re Nostrum
: Altres fonts
: Marine Regions

Abundance

    Western Mediterranean: ★★★☆☆
    Eastern Mediterranean: ★★☆☆☆
    Atlantic Ocean: ★☆☆☆☆
Month

This chart displays the monthly observation probability for Felimida luteorosea based on our own records.

Videos

 

More pictures

Felimida luteorosea @ Costa Brava (Spain) by Enric Madrenas
Felimida luteorosea @ Costa Brava (Spain) by Enric Madrenas
Felimida luteorosea @ Costa Brava (Spain) by Enric Madrenas
Felimida luteorosea @ Costa Brava (Spain) by Enric Madrenas
Felimida luteorosea @ La Herradura, Granada, Spain 9-04-2017 by Stefan Verheyen
Felimida luteorosea @ Sicily, Italy by Lara Orselli
Felimida luteorosea @ France by Pascal Girard
Felimida luteorosea @ France by Pascal Girard
Felimida luteorosea @ France by Pascal Girard
Felimida luteorosea @ Costa Brava, Spain by Miquel Pontes
Felimida luteorosea @ Costa Brava, Spain by Manuel Ballesteros
Felimida luteorosea @ Costa Brava, Spain by Manuel Ballesteros
Felimida luteorosea @ Costa Brava, Spain by Miquel Pontes
Felimida luteorosea @ Costa Brava, Spain by Miquel Pontes

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    Bibliography based on the works by Steve Long, 2006. Bibliography of Opisthobranchia 1554-2000 and Gary McDonald, 2009. Bibliographia Nudibranchia, with later updates from other resources.

Further reading

Cite this article as:

Ballesteros, M., Madrenas, E. & Pontes, M. (2012-2025) "Felimida luteorosea" in OPK-Opistobranquis. Published: 15/05/2012. Accessed: 03/02/2025. Available at (https://opistobranquis.info/en/?p=434)