Jorunna funebris - Nudibranchs

Jorunna funebris, common name the dotted nudibranch, is a large species  of sea lung, a dorid nudibranch, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusc  in the family  Discodoridae. Jorunna funebris nudibranch gastropod mollusk intotheblue.it

This species was described from Sri Lanka. It is widespread in the Indo-Pacific region from the Red Sea  and the Indian Ocean along the East African coast to Australia and New Caledonia.

Nudibranchs are a group of  soft-bodied, marine gastropod molluscs which 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” and “Dragon”. Currently, about 2,300 valid species of nudibranchs are known.

Nudibranchs are often casually called sea slugs, as they are a family of  Opistobranchs (sea slugs), with the phylum Mollusca (molluscs) but many sea slugs belong to several taxonomic group groups which 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.

Nudibranchs occur in seas worldwide, including in the tropics and the Southern Ocean.

Nudibranchs live at virtually all depths of salt water, from the intertidal zone  to depths well over 700 m. The greatest diversity of nudibranchs is seen in warm, shallow reefs, although a new nudibranch species was discovered at a depth near 2,500 m.

Nudibranchs are benthic animals, found crawling over the substrate. The only exceptions to this are the neustonic Glaucus nudibranchs, which float upside down just under the ocean’s surface, and the pelagic nudibranchs  Cephalopyge trematoides, which swims in the water column and Phylliroe bucephalum. Jorunna funebris nudibranch gastropod mollusk intotheblue.it

(extract from Wikipedia)

https://www.intotheblue.it/2017/07/29/jorunna-funebris/