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This species does not have a radula, yet it feeds on several species of sponges. They also occasionally feed on dead organic matter (detritus), bryozoans, tunicates, other nudibranchs. The sea lemon primarily feeds on a wide variety of sponges. Like other nudibranchs, they have few or no predators because of their foul taste, but might occasionally become a meal to fish or other nudibranchs. Nudibranchs have cephalic (head) tentacles, which are sensitive to touch, taste, and smell, and club shaped rhinophores to detect odors, but gastropods have no hearing. Eyes are set into the body, are about a quarter of a mil-limeter in diameter, and consist of five photoreceptors forming a lens. They have simple eyes, and are and able to see little more than simple light and dark. A number of these other sea slugs are quite colorful, and are sometimes con-fused with nudibranchs. Nudibranchs are extremely numerous in terms of species, and often very attractive and noticeable, but there is a wide variety of other forms of sea slugs, which belong to several taxonomic groups, not closely related to nu-dibranchs. This has led people to assume that every sea slug is a nudibranch. Nudibranchs are often called "sea slugs", which is a misnomer. The clade name "nudibranch" comes from the Latin word nudus, meaning naked, and the Greek brankhia, meaning gills. The name of the class gastrapoda, means stomach (or muscular) foot, used in locomotion, such as slithering across rocks and sponges. When handled out of the water, the sea lemon also pro-duces a lemon like odor. The common name sea lemon probably comes from this animal's similarity in visual appearance to a lemon based on such qualities as the rough-ened skin, the oval form when seen from above, and the common but not inevitable orange to pale yellow coloration. The family name dorid, refers to the Greek mythological character Doris, whose name represents the bounty of the sea. Sea lemons breathe through their rosette of gill the back, nudibranchs that have this type of gill arrangement are in a family called dorids. Nudibranchs in general live for up to one year. The nudibranch's bright yellow color is due to the carotenoid pigment carotene, which occurs in many sponges. Subsequently it was known as Diaulula nobilis. This species used to be placed in the genus Anisodoris and was known for a long time as Anisodoris nobilis. The sea lemon, when handled, gives off a pungent fruity or lemony smell which is a chemical defense against predators. Its average length is around 10 cm, but can reach lengths of up to 26 cm, and widths of 7.6 cm. This elongate oval nudibranch is one of the largest on the Pacific Coast. Similarly to some other dorid nudibranchs, especially the yellow ones, Anisodoris has a lemony, persistent, and penetrating odor. Antennae (sensory organs) are comb-like, and short, with a ring of 6 frilly white gills on the back near the rear end. They have background splotches of dark brown or black, and the knoblike tubercle that cover the back are yel-low. The Sea Lemon Peltodoris nobilis, is a bright yellow nudibranch with a white gill-plume, sometimes spotted with light brown or orange. The sea lemon is common on pilings, such as in the Monterey Harbor. Where laminarians or other algae provide the least bit of shelter, the sea lemon, one of the largest nudibranchs, may be commonly found. The sea lemon can be found at depths of up to 230 meters, on pilings, around docks, and in shady areas on rocks below the low tide line. Common intertidally in north end of range, subtidally in the south end.
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This species ranges from Alaska, to Islas Coronados, Baja California. The new chemical defense may have given the mollusk its ability to later shed its shell, through the course of further evolution.Įxposed rocky shore, kelp forest, protected rocky shore This could be an evolutionary response descended from ance-stral shelled mollusks that feed on sponges, which developed a tolerance to their quills and chemical deterrents and store them for use in their own defense. Observers have witnessed fish spit out nudibranchs that were accidentally ingested. Nudibranchs' bright colors are usually a warning sign to potential preda-tors: eat me at your own risk. Predators scorn the sea lemons penetrating fruity odor, and acidic taste.
Nobilis manual skin#
The animal uses a chemical defense system, by producing toxic compounds, which it stores in specialized skin glands. West Coast of North America, from Alaska to Baja California.